Ultimate Dream League - Volume 1
by UltimateDreamLeagueHQ
Summary: The Dream League is a team of vigilante superheroes consisting of Disney characters. It is an ongoing action-comedy-drama series. When the impossibly strong Hercules saves a girl from a truck, he's invited to join the Dream League and use his strength for good. Epcot City is dangerous, but Ultimate Dream League is out to save the day! Based on the Fantasmic Dreams Proboards RPG.
1. Introduction - What is the Dream League?

So, What is The Dream League?

The Dream League has two answers. The first is a role-play forum created by Joseph Label—that would be me—and Andrew "Heffy" Wamboldt. The second answer is a team of superheroes consisting of Disney characters and specific Studio Ghibli characters. (The Ghibli characters were required to have been featured in Disney-produced English dubs.) The RP had Disney characters serve as superheroes, villains, or just citizens. The characters retained their personalities as much as possible, but this was nonetheless a modern setting. Most heroes got their powers by strange meteorites, but there are plenty of notable exceptions.

The premise of the RP is a little complicated, but here goes. The Dream League takes place in an alternate universe where America has 51 states, the 51st being Calisota, where Duckburg and St. Canard are located, among other important landmarks. While Duckburg is Calisota's state capital, Epcot City is the biggest metropolis in the state. It also happens to be the most corrupt, dangerous, and reeks-of-utter-contempt city in the state, and that's why the Dream League team was created!

The Dream League's universe has humans and anthropomorphic animals living together in complete normalcy. There are no cartoon or live-action characters, only humans and anthropomorphic animals.

Finally, this ongoing series is called _Ultimate Dream League_. The Ultimate canon is different from the normal canon. Just remember that normal canon is in an RP forum you haven't been to, and Ultimate canon is what you're about to read.

The stories in this series (which will from here on be known as issues to mimic comic books) will have a maximum rating of T for Teen, 13+. Not every issue will be that intense, and some issues may be tame enough to warrant a K rating. But T will be the cap. There will be no R rated issues. This is _Disney_ we're talking about! Characters, being the Disney and some Ghibli characters that they are, will not cuss unless they've been known to, and even then the swearing will be mild at best. The T rating refers more to action violence and thematic elements.

Now, ladies and gentlemen, I humbly thank you for your interest, and I hope what follows will entertain you.

Yours truly,

Joseph Label

Co-creator of the Dream League concept, and author (with some help!) of _Ultimate Dream League_


	2. Issue 1 - Zero to Hero Part I

**ULTIMATE DREAM LEAGUE VOLUME 1**

**GOING THE DISTANCE**

_ULTIMATE DREAM LEAGUE_

_ISSUE #1_

**_"ZERO TO HERO PART I"_**

Written by Joseph Label

Full credits at the end of the issue.

Hercules was a contradiction. He was absolutely strong and tall, a massive powerhouse. But he suffered low self-esteem with a side order of social anxiety. Being an unusually strong farmhand from Pa's farmhouse, he only rarely traveled ten miles to downtown Epcot City, the biggest city in the state of Calisota, USA.

He looked out of place in the city, with his red and black plaid button-up shirt tucked underneath a belted pair of tight-fitting jeans. He smiled amicably at a few people he passed by, but the majority paid him no mind, whether out of rudeness or simple ignorance. He had come to this city to look for himself, because he was having a pre-midlife crisis. Being only 18 and fresh out of hell school—sorry—_high school_, he didn't know what he wanted to be. What could he do? He worked on the farm all his life and he didn't mind that, but was that it? He was too scared to seek an actual job because he didn't have complete control of his strength. It was a miracle that he lived up to now without drawing life-impairing attention. But that was about to be challenged.

He leaned against the brick wall of a building, one foot up and over the other in his stance. He folded his arms on his chest, but, of course, his muscles were so big that simply crossing them was sometimes awkward, and if he flexed just a little more his seams would have torn. His long-sleeved plaid shirt hid his muscles pretty well, but he could have destroyed it just by flexing. It brought him more discomfort than pride.

Hercules was a mutant, or just extremely gifted, or whatever. He never really cared for milk, but one look at his unclothed pecs could convince anyone he chugged three gallons of it daily, along with all the eggs and bacon worth one supermarket. He was strong. Not strong in the sense that he could punch you really hard and you'd get a black eye. No, strong in the sense that he could lift a car up and over his head, bend it like a licorice stick and toss it away, and _not_ break a sweat. It wasn't easy keeping his power under wraps. Only his parents and his beloved cousin, who also harbored a secret of her own, knew he was special. His parents wanted him to keep it out of sight, not out of shame (they loved him terribly for who he was), but out of fear of what the outside world would think of him.

He was slogging through his thoughts when his eyes fell on a little girl starting her brief journey through the crosswalk, after said girl looked both ways. But he heard a truck coming from behind him that, frankly, made any noise _except_ braking. He spun to see the large truck rapidly approach the girl. The driver didn't apply the brakes when he was supposed to and could only skid. The little girl's face snapped to the oncoming truck like a deer caught in headlights, but Hercules was already on the case. He jumped between the oncoming truck and the girl. He planted his leather booted feet to the road and slammed his two palms on the front of the truck. He made indents on the truck, but he did manage to stop the out of control vehicle all by himself, without hitting the girl at all. His boots only scraped on the road an inch or two, but he got the truck to stop dead still. Relieved, Hercules expected the girl to have taken off in fright. But he was surprised when he found her staring up at him with a grateful, curious smile. But there was more to it. Her smile also looked a little amused.

She was a very pretty (if he didn't feel like a creep he would have said beautiful), slender girl who looked to be just reaching puberty. She had long, fluffy blonde hair, bangs neatly covering most of her forehead. Her eyebrows were thin and black, and below them were two radiantly blue eyes, not unlike Hercules's own. She had red lipstick, but that was the only makeup she had applied; everything else about her was naturally beautiful. She was in a schoolgirl uniform, with purple and pink-strapped stockings and black Mary-Janes. Her bag was slung over one shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Hercules asked. Empathy brimmed in his voice.

"I am," the English girl responded. Her accent, _definitely_ not American, was thick and regal, almost absurdly so. She casually pointed to the truck behind her savior. "But… are _you _okay?"

Of course, how could Hercules have forgotten? He winced as he looked at the damage to the truck he caused. The driver, with a white flat cap, a thick, red mustache and wild eyes, appeared to be in shock. About ten pedestrians surrounding them stared at Hercules with wonder and fear. Hearing their muttering words and seeing the driver step out to speak to him were all Hercules needed. This was his cue to take off. With a last helpless, sad look to the girl, he took off and ran full speed away.

_Nice going, Hercules_, he mentally shouted to himself.

The little girl watched him. She wore a good poker face and didn't smirk as she mentally tracked him.

* * *

It was getting late at night. Hercules was at the other end of the city, in an Italian restaurant called Tony's. Tony himself was cleaning the place, with Hercules being the last customer. The TV was on a shelf attached to the corner of a room.

Hercules had already paid and tipped, and got up to begin leaving.

"In other news, a car accident occurred a few hours ago," the English-accented hornbill on the TV said. He was a news anchor of a local TV station. He was mostly blue, with a white chest and inner-wings. He had a tiny bow tie fastened to his neck and held papers with his wings, though he read mostly from a teleprompter. "Witnesses claim that a young man stopped a truck from hitting a little girl."

Hercules froze in place and looked to the TV.

"While pedestrians have had things to say, as well as the truck's driver, both the man _and _the little girl vanished. We will update the story with more information as they come. Zazu, _The Evening Report._"

Hercules was already gone before the story was done. He strolled along the sidewalk with his hands in his pockets.

"Guess I'd better head back," he said to himself. He came to Epcot to find himself, and he only found himself in trouble. He had parked his car in a pay-by-hour parking garage, and he intended to get there without any more surprises. He was ready to drive to some cheap motel to spend the night.

But just as he was passing by an alleyway, a large, furry arm grabbed and pulled him inside. The thug that grabbed him slammed him against the wall of a building. Hercules was so shocked by this that he didn't impulsively fight back. But what made matters worse was that the crook slammed him so roughly, the back of Hercules's head crashed against that hard wall. This made him dizzy, his vision blurred, making the darkness inside the alley even worse. He heard snickering in different places before a cheap electric lantern turned on.

Hercules was held in place by the largest and fattest (yet strongest) weasel of the anthropomorphic weasel gangsters. The fat weasel with untied sneakers, a striped T-shirt, and backwards, red baseball cap was already Hercules's most despised weasel, but that was about to change. Another weasel was bluish and had a lit cigarette in his mouth. Several other cigarettes, some of which were used, were disgustingly fastened all around his crumpled hat's band. One weasel was in a hospital gown with the back only tied by one lace. His hair (as in the fur on the top of his head) was messy and scrambled, and his eyes might as well have been Technicolored vortexes, they were so gone from sanity. Finally, there were two weasels that looked like they belonged in the wrong time period. The darkest weasel was in a green zoot suit, with slicked black hair (genuine hair this time) under his large, green hat. Finally, the weasel in the white suit and fedora, with a pink hat band and a pink bejeweled tie, was obviously the leader.

"Got a wallet?" the Smart Ass weasel asked. His voice reeked of scumbag.

"Yeah." Hercules wasn't in the mood for games. "But stealing money is illegal." Hercules knew that if his biceps were exposed the weasels would have thought twice about roughing him up. But his plaid shirt hid his muscles to an extent.

"Ohhhh," Smart Ass drew out the word obnoxiously. "We got a saint here, boys." His colleagues snickered, particularly the clearly insane weasel, though it seemed to Hercules that the Psycho weasel often laughed at his own thoughts; he doubted the little creep was really present in the conversation.

"That's too bad," the Wheezy one coughed. He took out his cigarette and flicked it at Hercules's face. He coughed again, the end of his hacking forming into a menacing laugh.

Hercules flinched at the cigarette. He bared his clenched teeth, his eyes narrowed dangerously. He could have mopped the floor with them right now, but he couldn't ponder an attack immediately. Would he really attack with all his might? He feared that giving away his impossibly godlike strength would put him in danger. What if he was still hounded by the media? Would it ruin Ma and Pa's lives? No doubt he was already in the doghouse about that truck incident earlier that day, but now he was in the _weasel_ house, too.

_What can I do?_ His thoughts raced. He needed to get out of the jam and quick._ Jeez, Hercules, you have the worst luck ever!_

Then, completely out of the blue, the scariest thing in his entire life happened.

_**Oh, I wouldn't say that.**_

He heard a voice in his head that wasn't his own.

_**Don't be afraid, sir. You won't have to expose your power to these cretins. You don't have to risk yourself. I'll help you.**_

Hercules looked up and around, clearly startled.

_**Please, trust me! Don't be scared. I'll help you.**_

"What's his problem, boss?" the Greasy weasel asked. "He's lookin' around like Psykes here."

Psycho, the mentally deficient one, was already looking up in the air, following a little bob-haired fairy that no one else could see. "Hehehehehehehe."

"He's… probably lookin' for a way out?" Smart Ass shrugged. "Not that it makes no difference."

Suddenly, to the shock of everyone, the camping lantern levitated all on its own.

"What the hell?" the Wheezy chain-smoker coughed.

"You all have made a _terrible_ mistake," a feminine voice stated. It was the same voice Hercules heard in his head, albeit less echoed and distorted.

The lantern was used as a spotlight cast down on the intruder. In walked the Dream Come True herself.

"B-boss?" the Stupid weasel quivered. He released his grip of Hercules, his full attention on the girl, whom he pointed to with a trembling hand. "Th-th-that's—!"

"I know who it is," Smart Ass coolly replied. "A little snot in a Halloween costume, just like all those other punks in spandex."

Under the light, the girl was revealed to be Dreamchild, one of the founding members of the Dream League. Her costume consisted of spandex which was light blue on the left half of her body (her costume reached halfway up her neck), and white on the right, with the white side forming a cloud design on her chest. At the top of that cloud design was a cute, blue bow tie with dangling tails. But she also had an elegant, V-cut tunic that covered her shoulders, most of her abdomen, and all the way way down to just above her knees. Her tunic lacked a hood, and the bottom of it was fixed in place by a simple, white belt. Both her right boot and right glove were blue, and both her left boot and left glove were white, contrasting from the spandex. Remarkably, her tunic complimented the respective colors of both sides; while it wasn't completely seamless with the spandex, the tunic nevertheless blended with the two different colors well. She had a black ribbon tied into the top of her hair, and knotted into a bow on top. This ribbon pulled her hair back, revealing much of her forehead. Finally, her eye mask was cloud shaped and blue, and, while worn, Dreamchild's eyes were completely white, despite her eyelashes being visible. Only a select few knew why this was the case.

"My, _my_," the girl said. "I might have to wash your mouth with soap."

"I ain't scared of ya, kid," Smart Ass sneered. "Run back home to Mommy. There's five of us and just one of _you_. The odds ain't good."

"You're right!" the girl replied, only half polite. She folded her left arm on her chest and brought her right hand up to her chin, stroking her bottom lips, pretending to think. "Let me see… you'll need five more just to stand a chance against me. Maybe." She looked to the would-be victim. It was so funny to see such a big, strong man pretend to be endangered, when she knew he could have broken all of the weasels' spines. _**Please wait a moment, Hercules.**_

Hercules grabbed his head and cringed. Was this really happening? He felt so dizzy and sick. He didn't know who the girl was. Something about her was familiar, yet every time he thought deeply into it his head hurt unusually, as if he was prevented from recalling.

"You're just a little pipsqueak." Smart Ass took out a switchblade and beckoned her to come close. "I'll cut your tongue off and force ya to swallow it, if that's what ya want."

Dreamchild was unfazed. "That doesn't sound appetizing, but thank you all the same. Now, I'm willing to bet you that I can take _all _of you down without laying a single finger on you."

"Boss, you know who she is, right?" Wheezy said.

"Yeah! Dreamchild!" Greasy added. "She's a _psychic_! And if the Dream League—"

"I _won't _let the stupid Dream League and some little pig scare me! Now get over here, brat!"

Hercules couldn't hide his disbelief. This girl was a _psychic_?

Dreamchild shot her hands up in the air and wiggled her fingers. A smirk formed on her lips. "Nothing up my sleeves! Gentlemen, for my first trick…!"

Wheezy's already clenched fist suddenly tugged to the side and slam into Stupid's large belly, forcing the fat crook to hunch over. "What the!" Wheezy shouted.

"Why'd you do that?!" Smart Ass snarled.

"Didn't mean to! Jus' happened! Dammit!"

Psycho lunged for Dreamchild with a bloodcurdling shriek, but the girl simply shot up into the air like a Roman candle, hidden by the shadows above.

Wheezy held up his gun and shot for the sky, hoping to hit the girl, but he couldn't see her at all. The lantern turned to shine into the weasels' faces, worsening their view. After a moment of silence, the gun ripped out of Wheezy's hand and turned to aim at him. The gun cocked in midair, which was enough to terrify the chain-smoking scoundrel. In fact, Wheezy swallowed his cigarette and coughed violently until he passed out from it.

Smart Ass, unable to comprehend the girl's powers, looked to the other weasels just in time to watch Psycho and Greasy get knocked out by several large wine bottles in the alley, all of which telekinetically launched to their temples. When Stupid finally got his wind and stood upright, the nearest trash can loomed over him and slammed onto him, trapping him inside. Various pieces of heavy garbage slammed all around the trash can quickly and repeatedly, banging it like a cartoon character's prank. When Stupid was finally let go, he was unable to do anything. His vision was blurred, his ears rang, and he could only sit on the ground like the idiot he was.

Furious, Smart Ass snarled and held up his knife, ready to cut out the girl's eyeballs. "Where are you, ya little _freak_?! Come on out and fight _fair_! You're a cheating, little—"

"Coercing people to give you money is hardly fair, I'd say." Dreamchild descended back to visible ground level and wagged her finger tauntingly at Smart Ass. "Tsk, tsk. You really _are _a petty criminal. Your suit deserves a better owner."

This was all Smart Ass needed to hear to get really pissed off. Knife in hand, he ran full speed after the girl, but was instead greeted by a garbage can lid slamming into his face, followed by a wine bottle, and then another trash can lid. Smart Ass was dazed, but the last attack did him in. The incapacitated Stupid, who was the closest to Dreamchild, levitated suddenly and shot intoto the head honcho. Stupid crushed his boss against a wall, and once the fat weasel (then knocked out) rolled off, Smart Ass staggered and dropped to his knees. He was fading fast, and could barely recognize the child approaching him.

Dreamchild smiled femininely as she casually walked up to him. She pressed her right index finger on his forehead and pushed him into unconsciousness. He hit the street with a louder thud than expected. "Well! I suppose I lost the bet; I touched him with a single finger." She giggled at her own joke childishly.

Hercules had chills all over his body. His hands trembled. He was pretty sure he had to use the bathroom very soon. "Oh… oh, _man_!"

Dreamchild casually walked closer to the large country bumpkin. She telekinetically moved the lantern to sit near the two humans. She had done this with only looking at the lantern once. "Girl, actually. I hope my sex is obvious." Her smile was playful yet kind.

"You… you saved me. Thank you! Thanks! Man! That was _so _cool!" He jumped upright and used his hands to exaggeratedly recount the fight. He went from frightened to happy very quickly. "You used trash can lids, and, and _bottles_! And you—whoa! I've _never_ seen anything like it!"

Dreamchild giggled. "Beggars can't be choosers, but I'm happy you enjoyed your… rescue."

"So, you're Dreamchild—who _are _you? _What_ are you? Uh, no offense. Sorry. Didn't mean to make you sound like an alien or something." He paused. "A-are you?"

Dreamchild linked her gloved hands behind her back. "I am, in fact, an alien."

"R-really?"

"Yes! I'm from the United Kingdom." Hercules started to learn that she was the sweetest troll he'd ever met. Her smile was cheeky yet good-natured. "Anyway, you don't know who I am?" Her tone was curious. She wasn't offended that he didn't know her, but it did surprise her considering that most everyone in Epcot City at least knew _of _the Dream League.

"Sorry, no. But if you're part of the Dream League, I know the name. I read it on the Internet, but… that's it. I think it was on Reddit. Maybe it had a subReddit, I dunno."

"Oh, really? I didn't know we were _on_ Reddit." She paused for a second. "Pardon me, sir, but are you from Epcot City?"

"Uh, no. I'm from a farm outside of town. You know, somewhere between here and Duckburg."

"You've never watched us on the news?"

"No. We don't have TV. Well, we have a TV, but we don't have cable. We have DVDs, though. So, we're on, like, a really, _really_ delayed cable network. At least we get Netflix, and Netflix streaming."

_He has no preconceived notions about me. Excellent._ Dreamchild cleared her throat. "Well, Mr. Hercules, I have a few things I would like to discuss with you."

He was taken aback. "W-wait, how'd you know my name?"

Dreamchild led the conversation. "I'll explain soon. But I humbly request your audience. Will you hear me out?"

"Who are you?" Hercules was suspicious again. How did she know his name? Was she reading his mind? And why did she talk so formal and eloquent? She didn't look a day older than 13! Were all British people really like that, so ridiculously classy and refined? _I thought it was a joke! A myth!_

"Please, sir, I wish to talk to you, in private. That's all I ask… unless you need to return home soon?"

He shook his head. "No. I'm gonna stay in a cheap motel tonight and I'll go back tomorrow morning. I'm here to… uh."

_**I haven't read your mind. That would be so rude of me! But I know a few things about you, and I would like to talk. Maybe I can even help you with any problems you might have. Will you please accompany me and listen to what I have to say?**_

Hercules flinched and grabbed his head. "Stop that!"

The girl lowered her lids to half close her eyes in annoyance. "Well, if you don't want me to reveal personal information, then you'd better follow me. Please?"

"All right, fine!" He felt nervous. "Where are we going?"

_**The Overlook.**_

"I said stop that!"

_**You'll get used to it.**_ A smile. _**Hopefully.**_ A smirk. Her head perked up when she heard police sirens. "All right, they heard Duck Avenger's call."

"Who did? I didn't see you make any call."

"The police. And I telepathically asked Duck Avenger to call them for me."

"You asked him with your mind?"

"Yes, precisely. Like… oh, you know. You know what it feels like now."

"I never thought I'd ever talk in my head. That's… weird."

She smiled as a huge light cast down upon them, and it didn't come from the lantern. The girl wasn't startled, but the man was.

Hercules winced from the light. He looked up to it, but had to hold up a hand over his view to prevent blindness. "What's that? A UFO?"

"No, it's the Star Wisher. It's our vehicle. And—"

"Are you serious? We're going in _that_?!"

"Oh, so you _can_ read minds, too?" Dreamchild giggled. "Yes, this is our ride."

The ship turned off the light before swooping down to a smooth landing just outside the alley. Hercules could see that the ship was large but not gigantic. It was a beautiful aircraft, with a cobalt purple coating and gold paint stylishly lined all about. The ship could be best described as shaped like a horizontal egg, with a sleek fin on the top and two large wings, one on each side. Two large, silver rocket jets were attached on the back, and two additional, smaller jets were affixed under the wings, one of each. The ship stood on tripod-like legs, silver and very durable. One leg was near the front of the ship and the other two were at the back. In the center of the belly opened a hatch which also served as a ramp. Light came from within.

"Shall we?" Dreamchild said politely.

"Whoa…" Hercules ran to the ship to get a good look at the front. The ship had blinking green lights at the tip of each wing, but the large, horizontal windshield didn't reveal anything inside; it was dark purple and reflected the environment, nothing more. "_This_ is the Star Wisher?"

"The same! Duck Avenger is waiting for us. Please follow me." She didn't feel the least bit odd giving an adult man (barely adult, anyway) orders.

He didn't seem to be bothered, either, because he followed her closely. He entered the ship and was greeted by cool, neon lights underlining every single button at the main controls. The ramp sealed closed within seconds upon boarding. The interior wasn't like a standard airplane's cockpit; each button was illuminated, each cluster of buttons a different color. The whole cockpit looked like a rainbow, in a way. The pilot, a duck, turned his head to speak to the awestruck man.

The duck gestured to their surroundings. "_This_ is where your tax-payin' money is going to," he said with a purposely harsh voice. He grinned and shrugged. "Unbelievable, I know." He turned his chair to look down through the windshield. Police cars had arrived around them, and four anthropomorphic cats ran in to arrest the weasels. "Right on cue. Good timin' there, DC."

The girl chose not to boost her ego. "Avenger, this is Hercules." Dreamchild took her seat and buckled up.

"Right. I'm Hercules. Hi. Hey." He waved timidly.

"Roger! Consensual kidnapping in full throttle! Buckle up, kid. We're clearin' for takeoff." The duck flipped a few switches, pressed a button, gripped the pilot yoke, and prepared for the big event.

Hercules, whose eyes thanked Dreamchild for evading the 'Roman' question, took the seat close to the girl. Nervous, he grabbed both parts of the seatbelt and, with his strength, accidentally tore some of said belt from the chair's belt sockets, nearly destroying it altogether. "Sorry."

"It can be fixed," Dreamchild replied. But she couldn't help looking away to fight back a laugh.

Only loosely restrained, Hercules spoke to the pilot. "It's nice to m—" He threw his head back to the headrest when the ship launched upward. When he entered the ship a minute before, he failed to notice the other jets directly under the ship used for liftoff, so he was pretty darn surprised. "_Whoa_!"

"Hope you don't get sick, 'cause we don't have bags." The duck smirked.

"It's nice to meet you, Duck Avenger!" the man said with shortness of breath.

"Same here. So, why're you named Hercules? You're named after the demigod?"

"Yeah!" Hercules looked to the girl. "My parents are Greek, so they named me Hercules."

Dreamchild smiled warmly. "How sweet." Then she looked puzzled. "But his proper Greek name is Heracles. Hercules is Latin. Why—"

Hercules obviously went through this crap his whole life because he reacted as such. "I don't know! I really don't know. They just did, and I don't know. Don't ask me, ask _them_!"

Dreamchild held up her white and blue hands in defense. "I didn't mean to offend you! I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay." He blushed and scratched his head. "I just got that a lot from teachers in high school, you know? Some of them were even like bullies."

"I detest bullies," she said quietly.

"But you… bullied those weasels, didn't you?"

She grinned. "In a way, yes. But they're in custody now. And besides, they bullied _you_."

"Well, I could have… uh." He stopped.

"… Taken care of it yourself. Because you are an _unusually_ strong man." Dreamchild's white eyes never looked more imposing. "Is that right?"

"So, basically we got a male Sunny?" Duck Avenger asked of the man.

"What do you want from me?" Every time Hercules started liking the girl, she would say something that sent chills down his spine. He looked to her with fear. Was he truly being kidnapped? He thought Duck Avenger was kidding, but then he feared he was tricked.

"Let's cut to the chase, 'cause I'm sure DC hasn't been so up front." With one hand on the yoke, the Avenger turned his seat about a quarter to better look at the man, his right arm on the seat's armrest. "Dreamchild says you're as strong as Sunshine, if not stronger. She says you stopped a _truck _with your bare hands. That ain't normal."

Hercules knew it. "So, you want me to join the Dream League?"

"We _would like you to_, yes," Dreamchild chimed in. "But we won't force you. In fact, I wouldn't mind if you said no this moment. But we just want to show you around the Overlook, and test you… _if_ you're willing. Think of this as an invitation to audition."

Hercules ran his hand through his reddish-orange, wavy hair. "This is _crazy_."

"Heh." Duck Avenger snickered, his focus back on piloting. "Wait until you meet Sunny. By the way, mind if I call you Herc? Hercules is kind of a mouthful."

"Herc's fine," he replied. "But who's Sunny?" He looked to the little girl, expecting an answer.

"Sunshine," she replied. "She's one of us, too. You _really _haven't heard about us at all?" She smiled, her white eyes half closed.

"No, other than the name." The man fidgeted in his chair uncomfortably. "I thought it was a basketball team."

Duck Avenger erupted in laughter. "Oh, _boy_, this is great!" He looked back to see the man look a little hurt. "Hey, take it easy. That's not a bad thing. I laughed 'cause… well… brace yourself to be amazed. That's all I'm sayin'."

"So, what, is the Overlook is a superhero fun club?" asked Hercules.

"No," replied Dreamchild. "At least, not for _any_ superhero. Or super. Whichever you prefer. Superhero or super, it's all the same. Tomato, tomato." Her thick English accent made her pronounce the word the same both times. "Or in my case, tomato and tomato." Duck Avenger and Hercules laughed. She smiled, happy that her self-deprecation was effective. "Anyway, the Overlook is the Dream League's headquarters. And living quarters. And anything-necessary-quarters."

"That's a lot of quarters!" Hercules said.

Duck Avenger shook his head. This guy sounded just like a big kid. He pointed to beyond the windshield. "There it is! The Overlook."

* * *

Dreamchild was the first to exit the Star Wisher, followed by Hercules. Duck Avenger was the last, and he closed the hatch with his pocket-sized remote. It even made two beeps like a car would. Duck Avenger smirked; it was such a pointless feature, yet an endearing one. _Beep-beep_!

When all three were out of the ship and close together, Hercules took the time to fully examine the Duck Avenger. The Duck Knight's costume was mostly black spandex that nearly covered his entire body, save for his head, neck, and tail feathers. His boots were yellow and huge, which was no surprise considering how huge the average anthropomorphic duck's webbed feet were. The costume had a large, brown utility belt, and an even larger, circular buckle made of gold. His suit had a stylish collar, red and with small bumps at the shoulders. His large cape was red inside and blue on the outside. He had a black eye mask, and a blue sailor cap with a black band and a forked tail attached. Hercules met plenty of ducks in his life, but he didn't recognize thee Avenger, let alone his strange voice.

"Why do you all trust me?" the man asked.

"You don't know who we are," Duck Avenger replied.

"But _she _knows me!" The man pointed to her.

Dreamchild didn't respond, which made him uneasy. She took pity on him, but knew keeping her distance for just a while longer was necessary.

The Overlook was the Dream League's codename for a mansion on a secluded island off the coast of Epcot City. The sand was white under the bright moon. The salty air was comforting and refreshing. And the mansion on the island, which required a decent walk through a path and stone steps to reach, was large but not castle-big. With its different shades of brown, numerous pillars holding a large balcony, and the warm glow from inside, the mansion really wasn't imposing after all. Overwhelming, maybe, but not scary. It almost looked hotel-ish.

"I've never been inside a mansion before," Herc admitted as they reached the door.

"Oh, it's fine after you get used to it," Dreamchild said as she rang the doorbell.

"Why don't you just walk in?" Hercules asked. "It's _your_ place."

"It's locked," Duck Avenger replied. "Don't want any snoops waltzin' in."

The door unlocked and was pulled open by a tall (though shorter than the man), overly dressed beagle in a snazzy purple suit. His eyes were almost always half closed, and sometimes closed entirely. "Good evening, Mistress Dreamchild. Master Avenger." He held the door open for the trio to enter. "And to _you_, sir." His accent was English, but perhaps a hint more absurdly formal than Dreamchild's.

Hercules smiled nervously. For some reason the butler intimidated him. "Uh, h-hello. My name is Hercules. I was invited here."

"Very good, sir." The butler closed the door, which locked automatically. "If you'll excuse me, I'd best prepare supper."

Hercules was about to say, "I already ate," but he figured it would make him look bad. "Thank you!" he said.

"I appreciate the thanks, but there's no need. I _am_ only doing my job, after all. Ah, such bliss." His humor was dryer than summer concrete under a high noon sun, yet never hostile.

With the butler gone, Dreamchild took Hercules by the hand and gently pulled him to follow her. "That's Mr. Duckworth. He's the butler."

"You guys seriously have a _butler_?" asked Hercules as he followed.

Duck Avenger shook his head, even though Hercules couldn't see him since the duck followed last. "Nah, he's really MM's butler. But he works here."

"Oh." Hercules flinched when he heard that girl's voice in his head again.

_**As to why he's named Duckworth but he's really a beagle, don't ask me.**_

_**I'm never gonna get used to this,**_ Hercules replied.

_**I'm sure you will. And if you can't, well, I'm sorry in advance, but you'll just have to muddle through it. And you just learned how to share a mental conversation with me. You just think it to me, and I'll hear you.**_

_**… What's wrong with just using lips?**_

Hercules was led throughout the beautiful mansion, and ultimately into an enormous room following a flight of stairs. It was a very large, plain, oval room with some kind of spherical projector fastened at the exact center of the ceiling. The lights were dim but sensed incoming presence and brightened, allowing the two Dreamers (the team's shortened nickname) plus guest to see each other plainly.

"Okay, this room is kinda creepy." Hercules looked around and whistled lowly.

"Hercules, would you please demonstrate your power against simulated obstacles?" Dreamchild started to walk to what looked like a control room, which resembled a recording studio more than anything, especially the large, horizontal window. "They won't be real, but they will look and feel genuine."

"_What_?" Hercules asked with lifted eyebrows.

"You're in the simulation training room, kid," Duck Avenger answered curtly.

Hercules didn't like being called kid. Even though Duck Avenger was older, he was much shorter than the human, so was it really fair for the short guy to call the big guy kid? But he shrugged it off. "Like virtual reality?"

Dreamchild returned with a portable keyboard. "Kind of, although I personally would describe it as the next step beyond _augmented _reality. I'm going to put up a simulated brick wall. Would you please punch it? I assure you, it will be as durable as a real wall, but none of us will be harmed if debris hit us." Without waiting for an answer, she released the keyboard's sides and it remained up in thin air, no doubt thanks to her telekinesis. It remained in place for her to type on it, without needing to carry it.

"That ain't necessary," Duck Avenger said lowly. "It's pointless."

"You'd better check on your _sour grapes_, Mr. Avenger," Dreamchild quipped without dropping a beat. "They are _quite_ odorous now." She typed quickly and pressed a lone button. What summoned was a quickly formed brick wall. Though it sometimes fizzled and some of the textures became blurred or even transparent, it was undeniably supposed to be a brick wall. Hercules touched it and was shocked to feel actual, rough brick. He slapped it and it was just like touching the real thing.

"Whoa," Herc quietly said.

Dreamchild and Duck Avenger backed away about ten feet, with the keyboard following the girl. "Now, punch," the girl instructed. "Please."

Hercules looked meekly to the two. Duck Avenger's arms were folded on his chest, clearly expecting to be impressed. Dreamchild smiled reassuringly. This was enough to calm him. Most martial artists did breathing exercises before striking the plywood or bricks. But Hercules simply pulled back his right fist and struck the wall dead center. The bricks crumbled as debris shot forward, hitting the wall without leaving a single scrape on the wall. Hercules guessed it was because of the simulations. Or stuff.

Duck Avenger grinned. "_Niiiice_. Just like Sunny."

"Well done, Hercules! How does your hand feel?" Dreamchild clearly knew the answer, because she was already typing something on the keyboard. The bricks vanished with a computerized crackle sound.

"No sweat," Hercules answered, blowing his hand and rubbing it on his chest. He wore a proud smile like a champ.

"That's good," Dreamchild replied, again without looking at him. "Now, could you please, dare I say, _beat up_ simulated criminals?"

"Uh, what are they like?" the man asked with less confidence.

"They'll be like common thugs," Duck Avenger answered, with more noticeable respect in his tone than before. "Ever fought before?"

"No, but—"

"Don't worry, Hercules. They won't hurt you. They _can't _hurt you. They're not real, and if they touch you with knives, or any weapon for that matter, it'll tickle more than hurt you. You will be properly trained later, but this is just to see if you can defend yourself with simulated dummies, so it's not all make believe." Dreamchild smiled again. "I believe in you."

He didn't know why, but Hercules felt very touched by that statement. He even blushed a little. "Thanks. I, heh. Okay. I'll try. I'll do my best." He cracked his knuckles loudly and jumped into a ready stance, his large hands clenched tightly. "Bring it."

Dreamchild summoned four criminals, making two pairs of fake goons who looked identical to one another. They looked like green, wire-framed men ready to punch, and two women holding blatant knifes (they looked real, not wire-framed, although they did flicker like glitches on occasion). "Begin," the girl said. She pressed a button.

One of the men rushed to Hercules, and the latter punched the simulated target. The thug launched into the air, fell on his back with a violent crunch noise, and didn't get up. One of the women took her turn. She rushed him, ready to jab him with the knife. Herc grabbed her by the arm, effectively dodging her knife. He twisted her arm to propel her over his back, which was hunched because he bent forward, and she flew off when he released. She dropped to the ground, also not moving after landing. The last man broke into an agile strike, more aggressive than the first thug. He punched Hercules across the jaw, and though it didn't hurt, it was enough to make Hercules angry. He punched the man in the stomach so hard he flew twenty feet across the room, slammed against the spherical wall, and tumbled.

"Three down, one to go," Hercules said.

He looked to the last simulated woman, who did something different. She dropped the knife, held up her hands in fear, and ran away, even out the room's door.

A pin hitting the floor would have sounded like a car crash, the silence was so overbearing.

"Uh… DC? Are they supposed to do that?" Duck Avenger asked of the escapee.

"I had… no idea they were sentient that way!" At first she grinned in amused shock, but then she broke into laughter and eventually had to sit on thin air to try and contain herself. The keyboard fell to the ground because it was no longer being focused on. "Oh, my _goodness_! Hahaha! You scared her away! Hahahaha!" Her cheeks turned red and her white eyes started producing tears. "That is the _funniest_ thing I've seen all month! Oh, dear, can I breathe? Oh, my. This is a problem! Hahaha!"

Hercules scratched the back of his neck and looked away to hide a sheepish grin. "Heh. I hope I didn't fail." He thought the girl had the cutest laugh ever, but he didn't want to patronize her by telling her that.

Duck Avenger snickered, though not a hearty laugh like his fellow Dreamer. "I'll be doggoned." He cleared his throat to fight back his natural voice. "Uh, never seen anythin' like that, too. Boy, you really _are _strong! I gotta hand it to ya, Herc. Nice one."

"How'd I do? How was that?" Hercules asked eagerly.

"I think you killed one or two of them," Duck Avenger said in amusement. "These are common thugs, remember. With you strength, I think you gave 'em one too many hemorrhages. But, as far as your muscles are concerned… not bad. Not bad at all."

Dreamchild, having calmed down but still giddy, deactivated the simulated training session. "That runaway _should_ be disbanded now. Hehe." She walked back to the control room to return the keyboard without even picking it up; that was her telekinesis's job!

Hercules approached Duck Avenger, still emotionally high about the test. "So, hey! What are your powers, DA?"

Duck Avenger looked a little annoyed, but not directed at Hercules himself. "I don't have any powers. I don't _need_ any powers! I got wit and cunning. I got gadgets and weapons." He threw his cape back so it could sort of billow… kinda. "I'm… _the Duck Avenger_!" His pose was ridiculous. He puffed his chest out so much he looked like he would topple over any second.

"Uh… cool," Hercules replied. It was the only answer he could muster.

Dreamchild returned to the others and looked up to Hercules. The man was so tall—about 6'3"—that she had to tilt her head more than usual. "Hercules, I know I've asked so many favors of you, but would you please join us for dinner?" She mentally added to him, Even though I know you've eaten already. I saw you leave that restaurant. I _love_ Tony's! Have you tried their Bella Notte special?

"Sure, I'll—" He flinched, but he was more surprised to find himself slowly getting better at tolerating the mental quips. Not yet, but their penne is great. "I'll join. Yes. Thank you."

"You called me DA," Duck Avenger said to Herc. "You're a fast learner. I'm DA, she's DC, and Sunshine is Sunny. Most of us have nicknames, yeah."

Duckworth cleared his throat as he entered the room. "I was on my way here to alert you that dinner is ready, but then a digital woman shoved me aside as she ran. Then she vanished into thin air." His surprise was only mild. "Would Master Hercules have anything to do with it?" He eyed the muscular hero with feigned suspicion.

"This guy's a real powerhouse," Duck Avenger shouted, slamming a hand on the taller human's back. "C'mon, let's go to dinner!" Obviously trying to win the man's favor, Duck Avenger led Hercules out the room, talking about insignificant things all the while.

Dreamchild, with a soft smile, mentally spoke to Duckworth as both left the room. _**Thank you, Duckworth. You truly are the unsung hero of our team.**_ She stopped and looked to him earnestly. _**That was meant to be a compliment! I'm sorry.**_

Duckworth started to chuckle but covered his mouth, as if to excuse himself from belching. _**Oh, no matter. I… appreciate it. Thank you.**_ He smiled as the two followed Duck Avenger and Hercules.

* * *

The dining room wasn't as ridiculously luxurious _and_ superfluous as Hercules anticipated. While elegant and attractively decorated, the beautifully furnished room had an air of coziness to it. It was sophisticated yet welcoming; humble, even, despite the long table and bright chandelier over said table. The chair at the end of the table was reserved for the Masked Mallard, who had yet to show up. Dreamchild seated herself on a chair. She chose to sit so that she could face the guest of honor, Hercules, from opposite ends. Duck Avenger sat a few chairs away from Hercules, because he didn't want to feel cramped next to the man's biceps. There were plenty of empty seats, clearly indicating that there could be more superheroic butts filling them sometime.

Duckworth, who entered the kitchen, brought out three plates (he carried two with one arm, remarkably) to the table, placing one in front of each person. The meal smelled wonderful: roasted chicken with sides of browned potato slices and a salad with a careful amount of dressing. It looked and smelled so good that Hercules felt hungry again.

"Thank you, Duckworth!" Dreamchild beamed to him a tender smile.

"Thank you!" Hercules and Duck Avenger chimed in.

Duckworth smirked in gratitude, his eyes a hint more joyful. "You're welcome, lady and gentlemen. Master Mallard is on his way. He instructed me to let you start eating." The butler looked to Dreamchild once more. "Our guest is your first potential recruit. We'll see if you have an eye for talent." His smile grew warmer. "And I'm confident you do."

Dreamchild smiled widely, exposing her white teeth. "Thank you, Duckworth. He's a remarkable—"

She looked at Hercules, only to find him practically scarfing down the chicken. "This is pretty good!"

"Yes, he is quite… unique." Duckworth's eyebrows furrowed. "I'll be in the kitchen if you need me." He turned and left them to their dinner.

Dreamchild narrowed her white eyes at Hercules. _**You act like you've never had chicken before.**_

Hercules swallowed and wiped his face with his napkin. _**Sorry. I just never had one so amazing! Mom's a great cook, and I love her chicken, but this… I need to give her the recipe!**_

Duck Avenger snickered. He shrugged his shoulders and started eating. "Yeah, Duckworth has always been a great cook. And a great cleaner. And a great… everything."

Dreamchild nodded. "Oh, yes. He's a wonderful person." She leaned forward and whispered. "And I love how formal he is." Oddly enough, she didn't speak telepathically and risked herself getting caught by Duckworth himself.

"Yeah," Duck Avenger said. "He's the kind of guy you'd expect to stop you at an intersection and hand you a jar of Grey Poupon." All three laughed, but their fun was interrupted by a different voice from the entrance.

"Good evening, everyone." In walked an elder duck that nonetheless looked like he could kick your ass _and _appear formal at the same time. He wore a black top hat that was sleek and stylish, a black domino mask that made his large eyes completely white (like Dreamchild's), a black tuxedo, a black cape with a dark blue lining on the inside, and black spats on his webbed feet. He twirled his signature cane as he passed by his fellow heroes. "Dreamchild. Avenger." He said names as he eyed them, but stopped at the seated human. "And you must be that fellow Dreamchild invited, hm?" His voice was obviously just as masked as his face; it seemed to cover a thick accent of some kind.

"Y-yeah," Hercules responded. He quickly stood up to formally greet him, but he knocked his plate which clattered noisily on the table, and almost spilled the food all over. "S-sorry!" He winced. Despite being nearly twice the Masked Mallard's height, he was inexplicably intimidated by him.

Dreamchild facepalmed, Duck Avenger snickered again, and the Masked Mallard shrugged. "Pay it no mind." He could understand why the simple lad was nervous. He looked to the girl. "How did he do? Did you test him?"

Dreamchild nodded. "His strength is comparable to Sunshine's. With proper training, I believe he can become a true hero."

"Good, lass. Does he have anything to do with that truck that was stopped downtown?" the Mallard asked. He clearly knew it was, but he humored her.

"Yes." Dreamchild mentally told him, _**That was him. He saved me. I was that little girl.**_

The Masked Mallard smiled and nodded. "Very good." He looked up to Hercules. "Lad, don't let us twist your arm. If you don't want to be part of us, that's all right. It's just we're actively seeking recruits because Epcot City is a very bad place."

"Yeah, I live ten miles out of Epcot," Hercules replied. "But why did you—" He looked to Dreamchild and pointed to her. "Why did _you _invite me here? What if I say no? I know where you all live now. What if I was, uh, a bad guy? What if I came back…"

"Oh, there's no worry, son," the Mallard casually replied. "You'd simply be outmatched." He took his own chair at the table. "Sunshine… could mop the floor with you if she really had to. She can fly and shoot solar ray beams. And I'm sure you've guessed, but Dreamchild is _a lot _more powerful than she looks. And Duck Avenger, he…" He paused. "Well, he can annoy you."

"Thanks for the confidence boost, boss." Duck Avenger grumbled as he shoved a fork's worth of chicken in his bill. Even in their superhero guises, the uncle and nephew had a testy relationship. Duck Avenger was, of course, the nephew. They knew each other's real identities all too well.

Hercules reclaimed his seat. "Okay, I get it. But… I don't know. I just… I… I-I, I I just don't think I'm cut out!"

"As I said," the Mallard replied, "we're not twisting your arm. But if you would kindly spend the night in one of our guest rooms, you can sleep on our offer. If you accept, you could live here, or live back at your home and only come in when we need you."

Hercules folded his arms on his chest, which was difficult because of how bulging his muscles were, underneath his farmer shirt. "All right, I'll sleep here. I appreciate your hospitality. This means I don't have to pay for a motel. And I already had a run-in with weasels."

"Oh, yeah," Duck Avenger said after a swallow. "Good job there, DC."

"She took on the whole weasel gang on her own?" the Mallard asked in amused surprise. He smiled to her. "Bravo!"

"Thank you!" Dreamchild replied to both ducks. "And thank _you_ for calling the police and picking us up, Avenger."

"Anytime." Duck Avenger looked to Hercules, pointing to him with his fork. "Look, I'm not tryin' to push you or anything, but if you don't accept… you're an idiot."

Both the Mallard and Dreamchild glared at him. They shouted different variations of, "Hey!"

"I mean it." The Avenger dropped his fork on his plate, his eyes remaining on Hercules. "You have the strength many bad guys would give their mother's teeth to have. You're a _miracle_. You're strong enough to make Paul Bunyan blush. You could save lives. You could save so many people—men, women, kids, _anybody_—and here you are, whining and stallin' like a sissy. You're a cocoon, so turn into a butterfly already! A big, macho butterfly!" His tone and face brightened up by the end of his little speech. "If you don't use your power to help others, you're being way too selfish. And that's that."

"When Duck Avenger is lecturing you about morality," the Masked Mallard dryly said, "you'd best take care."

"Shut up!" the Avenger shouted, slamming his balled fist on the table.

"His words are a little harsh," Dreamchild said, "but I do agree with his sentiments. Hercules, may we please speak after dinner? Before you retire to bed?"

Hercules, who was put on the spot this whole time, tried to hide his face. He looked to Dreamchild with such gentle vulnerability that it made her visibly react. Conflicted and saddened, he nodded "Okay."

At this time, Duckworth came out of the kitchen with the Masked Mallard's plate, as well as some condiments. "Would anyone care for some condiments, like Grey Poupon?" Dreamchild and Duck Avenger looked at each other before laughing, and poor Duckworth had no idea why. "I say, it's only Dijon mustard."

* * *

Hercules sat on the bed inside one of the guest rooms. Even the guest room was cozy and lovely, like what you'd find in a posh hotel. The bed was much softer than his own back home, which he more than appreciated. He flopped on the bed a few times laughing merrily, but then he heard a knock on the door. "Come in!" he said, sitting upright.

Dreamchild entered, closed the door behind her, and looked him in the eye with a soft smile on her red lips. "May I sit by you?"

"Uh… sure." He scooted more to his left so she could have more room beside him.

"These beds are lovely, aren't they?" Dreamchild sighed. "I wish I had one."

"Heh, yeah. Me, too. My bed is hard as a rock."

Dreamchild giggled. "Mine feels like I'm sleeping on Frankenstein's slab. It's _so _terrible. I keep expecting to be strapped to it and lifted skyward, only to be electrocuted by lightning."

"That's deep." He grinned. "But you'd look weird with bolts in your neck."

She smiled to him, her white eyes crinkled and her cheeks a little red. "You're a funny man."

"Why, because I'm clumsy?" he replied.

"No, you're not!"

He looked at her with a raised brow, twisted lips, and half-lidded eyes that said, _Get real_.

"All right, you _are _clumsy. But that's not such an awful trait. And neither is your strength." A pause followed, then Dreamchild's confession. "Hercules… please join us. Please."

Hercules looked away. "I thought you said you wouldn't mind if I didn't join. Remember?"

Dreamchild frowned and looked downward. "I lied. I'm so sorry. The truth is… I very, _very _much want you to join us." Both of their gazes met. "Duck Avenger can be boorish, but he's right. You have a special gift, and you can't keep it to yourself. You really should help others. You're a good person." She placed a hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged it off.

"But I'm a _freak_! I'm… I'm a total _freak show_! I… I-I didn't ask for this!" He covered his face with his hands.

"Hercules, do you honestly think _I _chose my powers?" She sounded both sympathetic and stern. "They were thrust upon me. I was born with weak telekinetic abilities, but one night I found a glowing mushroom that I compulsively ate. From then on, my powers were immense, as you've witnessed today. At first I was terrified. I was so, so scared… until I realized my powers were a gift. I could make use of them. Instead of running away from it, I embraced it. What I thought was my greatest weakest became my greatest strength."

There was a long pause before Hercules slid his hands down his face and asked, "How are you so articulate? How old are you, anyway?"

"Twelve, and that's beside the point." She scooted closer to him, her eyes even more intense. "Hercules, if you say no and don't join us, it won't be the end of the world, and I _promise_ I won't think less of you. Disappointed, perhaps, but I would still respect you. But Epcot needs heroes. The police can't handle this mess alone. Epcot _needs_ the Dream League. Please join us, Hercules. Please." She bit her lip and her white eyes closed more than usual.

Hercules fell silent for a moment. "I… I'm a nobody. I've only worked for my Dad, back at the farm. I'm too scared to find a job because of my strength, and I… I just don't know who I am. I don't know where I belong. Ever since middle school, and then high school—which was _horrible_, by the way, look forward to _that_—my life just went nowhere fast. Would joining the Dream League make any difference? I… I don't know."

"But what if… _what if _this made a difference?"

Hercules couldn't believe it, but he could start to read Dreamchild's pure white eyes better. Behind that mask lurked something truly _human_. He thought for a long moment of silence, collected his thoughts, and then leaned his face closer to hers, his nose nearly touching hers. "Dreamchild… I'll say yes and give it a chance… under one condition."

She didn't lean back. "Which is?"

"I want to know who you are. I want you to take off that mask and show me your real eyes. I want to know your name."

She fell silent, but she didn't wince or react strongly at all.

He continued, "I want you to tell me who you are. You know who I am, but I don't know you. This is about trust. You already lied to me once, so how do I know you're not manipulating me? Who are you? If you tell me who you are, I'll do this. But if you don't… I'll walk."

Dreamchild was silent for a moment. Then she cleared her throat and nodded. "I understand. That's only fair. And I accept your terms." She looked around. "But I would like to reveal my identity in a different way. Please go to sleep." She stood up.

"What?"

"Believe it or not, I can enter dreams. I'd like to tell you in yours. What could be more private than that?"

"… Are you serious?" Even he had to draw a line regarding her powers. He looked at her as if she was a maniac.

"I can levitate, move objects without touching them, read minds, and have a conversation with you inside your head, and you're suggesting my ability to enter dreams is farfetched? Quaint!" She closed her eyes, smiled and tilted her head, teasing him. "Hehe."

"Do you even _need _the Dream League? Could it just be _Dreamchild_?" He rubbed his head. "No offense, but you're like that, that, uh, kid in _The Twilight Zone_ who could read everyone's minds, and they had to think good thoughts all the time or they'd turn into jack-in-the-boxes!"

Her eyes opened again. "Oh, Hercules, you silly thing! I can't _create_ things or transform things. You have me all wrong. I can't teleport, either."

"But… you're so… powerful." Hercules suddenly felt weak, the first time in his _entire _life. "How can you need…? Why do you even need me?"

She shook her head. "No, even I have my flaws. That's what the Dream League is. Everybody has their strengths and weaknesses. We…" She quickly thought of a deep, meaningful way to describe the Dream League. "We're all fragmented pieces that come together to form a whole picture."

"… _Twelve_."

"Twelve." She grinned.

"Your superpowered brain probably has something to do with your intelligence, right?"

"It's almost certain, yes. Now, then, will you please go to sleep?"

"All right, fine. I'll go to sleep. But if you're lying—"

"I'm not. I _promise_. I'm _so _sorry I lied to you that one time, but I really want you to join. I promise, Hercules, I will _never _lie to you again." She paused and smiled. "Fortunately, it's Friday night, so I won't have to go back to school."

"So, when you're not at school you room here in the Overlook?"

"Exactly. You'll know my room when you see it. It has a lot of blue and white things." She giggled. "But let's worry about that later. I'll wait outside your room. I'll know when you're asleep, believe me."

"You can mentally recognize when I'm sleeping, too?!" he nearly shouted.

"No, I'll just peek inside and see you. I'm not a god, you know." She giggled as she happily walked to open the door. "Good night," she said over her shoulder. She closed the door behind her.

"Good night," he replied as she left. Not wasting a moment, and because he was really bushed, he flipped off his boots without using his hands, turned off the light, and nestled on the bed, still fully clothed. He fell asleep within minutes. About five minutes later, the door opened and, thanks to the light in the hallway, Dreamchild's shadow loomed over him.

_Goodness, that was fast_, Dreamchild thought.

* * *

Hercules was seated on a park bench, staring at the beautiful sun which was in progress of setting. He sighed in content as he looked over to the large Troll dolls with jeweled navels and fuzzy hair, riding sport velociraptors, and not the scientifically accurate raptors; the _Jurassic Park_-styled dinosaurs. The Trolls held their reigns of the raptors with one hand, and lacrosse sticks with the other. All the raptors scurried around, sometimes bumping into each other. The Trolls themselves wobbled with each bump, like they were really toys.

"Just another normal, beautiful day," Hercules said aloud as he watched the sporting event. He crossed his arms on his chest and looked to the sun again.

"Those Troll dolls are hilarious," Dreamchild said, spontaneously seated beside him.

He looked to her with surprise. "Trolls?" He looked to the dinosaurs and their riders. "Why are Trolls riding those raptors and being weird?" He looked terrified now. "What the heck?!"

"But you just said it's another normal, beautiful day." She smirked knowingly.

"But it seemed normal _then_. Now that you mention it, this is…" He brought his shocked face to hers. He was alarmed, she was calm. "_Hey_! I'm dreaming!"

"Correct." She looked to the Trolls and called to them. "I used to play with you when I was very young!"

In unison, all the Trolls and raptors stopped, faced the girl, and jiggled triumphantly.

"You have a very interesting subconscious, Hercules," Dreamchild said.

"It's all random," Hercules replied defensively. "I swear!"

"Hehe." She cleared her throat. "Now, you wanted to know who I am."

"Yes, please." He regained his composure and sat upright. "Sorry about that. This dream just surprised me, that's all."

"It's quite all right." She stood up and looked him directly into the eye. "Hercules… I never did thank you about earlier today."

"Thank me about what?" He tilted his head, his eyes squinting a little, as if to see through her.

"If it weren't for you I'd have been killed." She gripped her mask, pulled it off and slowly lowered it. She opened her lids to reveal a pair of beautiful, piercing blue eyes. She dropped the mask, which faded to nothing. She tore off her hair's ribbon, which also faded to nothing. She pulled her bangs down over her forehead and fluffed her hair with her hands. She smiled warmly to him.

Hercules got up from the bench, absolutely shocked. He pointed at her almost like she was a ghost. "Y—y… _you're_—you're the girl I saved!"

The little girl nodded. As she spoke, her Dreamchild costume slowly dissolved into what she wore earlier in the day: the schoolgirl uniform. "My real name is Alice. Alice Pleasance Liddell. I'm from England. But during the school year I live here in America, alone."

"In a house?"

She grinned playfully and shook her head. "Hehe, no. Not _that _alone. In a dormitory. I attend St. Blair Academy. It's a boarding school in Epcot, and one of the most prestigious boarding schools in the world, at that. But when I'm not there—"

"You're here in the Overlook," Hercules interjected, feeling proud.

"Precisely, as we discussed while you were awake."

Hercules rubbed his eyes. "But if this is a dream, then it's not really you. R-right?"

"I assure you, I am _not _a figment of your imagination." She approached him. "I'm a real psychic. This might seem 'freaky' to some, but if I can turn the _freakiest_ part about me into my best trait..."

"But a kid shouldn't do this kind of stuff," Hercules said. He couldn't believe he didn't really think about it before, but she _was_ a twelve-year-old girl endangering herself. "It's too risky."

"And is it not risky for a man to step in front of a truck to protect a girl?" She placed her right hand on her hip and cocked her head, shaking it with a playful smile.

"N-no, but you must have done that on purpose. It was all staged, right? You probably sensed my strength, and did that…" He stopped as the girl shook her head. "No?"

"I don't read minds unless I have a reason to. Invading your private thoughts without consent is such terrible manners! And nothing about that was planned. It happened as you saw it. I almost died. I truly, honestly almost died. If it weren't for you, I'd be Pancakechild. But you saved me." Her face tender and gentle, she held out her right hand for a shake. "Thank you, Hercules. I owe you so, so much."

Hercules didn't know what to say. But he nonetheless shook her hand in return, albeit gently. It would have looked bad to the League if he broke her hand. "You're welcome, Dreamchild. Alice." He was both humbled and awkward.

* * *

Hercules woke up to find the light on and Dreamchild on her knees beside the bed, her hands on his forehead. Her eyes were closed for a moment and then opened. She smiled wearily. "This is my most taxing power," she said. "Now I feel lightheaded and… please excuse me." She sat on the floor and rested on her back, her blonde hair splashed all over.

"You okay?" Hercules asked, sitting on his bed. He hunched forward to examine her face. It looked fatigued and strained.

"Oh, yes," she replied softly. "I'll feel better in about a minute. This always happens when I project myself into somebody's dream."

"But… that's amazing! Uh, your power is. Not your… side effect." He patiently waited for Dreamchild to regain her composure. "You need a glass of water?"

"Thank you, but I'm all right." After a few consecutive, slow breaths, she levitated to her feet and stepped closer to him. "There, that's much better."

"You feel all right?" Hercules asked, not fully convinced.

"Yes, thank you," she replied, her voice louder than before. She was back in her Dreamchild costume, which proved that any manipulations she made inside the dream had no bearing in reality. "So, my real name is…" _**Alice.**_ "Do you trust me now?"

Hercules nodded. "Yeah. I trust you." He slipped off the bed to rest on one knee, so his eyes could be closer to hers. "I'm in. There's nothing better to do, anyway. And… even though it scared me, I was so proud to save you. If I can do that to more people, save more lives, then I'll join."

Dreamchild smiled. "Thank you. I'm very pleased and humbled. You'll have training to do, and this is a dangerous job. But Epcot will become a better place with our help." She held out her hand. "Welcome to the Dream League, Hercules."

He gently gripped her hand. They already shook hands in the dream, but this time it felt more official. "I'm ready to be trained, DC. I'm ready!"

"Of course." She smiled when she realized he probably viewed her as his mentor. "But first you'll need a good night's rest. We'll talk more tomorrow, and I would appreciate it if you refrain from sharing my identity."

"Yeah, I know."

Dreamchild happily walked to the door, stopped as she gripped the knob, and looked back to him. "I love dinosaurs, by the way."

"Me, too." He grinned.

Her smile grew warmer. "Good night, Hercules." Her whisper was sweet and earnest.

He smiled and waved. "Good night, DC."

She closed the door behind her, and he once again lied down on the bed and turned the light off.

_**Alice,**_ he thought. _**Cute name.**_

_**Why, thank you! I think Hercules is a regal name, myself!**_

Hercules jolted on the bed and shoved a pillow against his face, covering his ears with each end. _**Ahhh! H-hey! I'm done with mind readings for tonight! Please stop!**_

_**Hehe, I'm sorry. I'll sever our mental links for now. Good night, for the last time!**_

_**Good night…**_

He released his hold on the pillow and slipped into his thoughts, becoming lost in them. The little girl he saved was a force more powerful than he could have ever imagined, and _she_ begged _him_ to join the Dream League. He couldn't get over superheroes taking down crooks… it was all too weird. "This really escalated fast," he muttered to himself. He sighed and rolled over.

After thirty minutes of racing thoughts, he admitted he couldn't fall back asleep. Along with his thoughts, a dry, parched throat also distracted him from sleeping. After spending a long time debating what to do, he decided to turn on the light, get up, and leave the room.

The hallway was similar to the dining room, elegant yet comforting. There were no family portraits or anything, but there were a few newspaper clippings and magazine pages, some of which contained photos of the heroes, all framed on the walls. Of course, it was so dark that Hercules couldn't make out any of the text, nor see the pictures clearly. This was why he didn't notice a beautiful, young woman in some of the pictures. He encountered Duckworth on his way to the kitchen. The butler had finished folding some laundry and stacked them perfectly in a basket.

"Good evening, Master Hercules," the butler said.

"Hey. I was just getting a drink of water. Uh, can I? Please?"

"Oh, far be it from me to deny you the source of all life." The faintest smile spread across his lips. "Of course you may. Please leave the glass in the sink and I will take care of it in the morning." He took his first step to walk away with the basket, but the human stopped him.

"I decided to, uh, join the League." He smiled.

"Very good. Was Mistress Dreamchild bold with her persuasion?" he asked dryly.

"She made me realize that… that I _can_ make a difference, that I can find myself, and help others using my… strength."

"That's the spirit, Master Hercules." Duckworth tilted his head up and closed his eyes nobly. "By the power invested in me—the humble butler—I welcome you to the Dream League. I would press a blade on your shoulder to dub you, but since I am carrying a laundry basket, comforting words must suffice... unless sir would be happy with a washcloth on his shoulder?" His eyes opened, one of his bushy eyebrows raised and he smirked.

"Thanks, Duckworth," Hercules replied with a chuckle. "I'll do my best. I'll try not to let you down."

A noise from the front door got both of their attention. It was a gentle knock.

"Who's there?" Herc asked.

"Ah, that must be Mistress Sunshine." The butler set the laundry basket down, exited the sufficiently lit dining room room, and approached the front door.

Hercules was curious to see who this Sunshine was. She was referenced way too many times the past few hours, but he honestly had no idea who she was, despite her popularity. He was always kinda shy around women, but he had to make himself appear strong in order to win over all his teammates. After all, he was in the club now. He folded his arms on his chest and shifted his weight to one leg in attempt to seem relaxed.

Duckworth opened the door and allowed the person in. "Welcome back, Mistress Sunshine."

"Thank you, Duckworth!" she said warmly. "I'm so sorry for being late." Hercules heard the voice. He knew he was in trouble.

"That's quite all right. I shall retrieve your dinner." He escorted her to the dining room.

"I appreciate it so much, thank you." As she walked, she closed her eyes and stretched her arms in the air. She sighed pleasantly as she stretched. She was oblivious to the newcomer when she entered the dining room.

She was _beautiful_, even with a purple eye mask covering half her face. The most immediate physical trait about her was her golden hair. It was long, flowing, and luscious, smooth in parts but with locks of curls. She had the most gorgeous bangs he had ever gazed upon: three swipes on the right, and a large curl on the left. Her face was slender, with high-arched eyebrows, almond shaped eyes, and lips that shamed the rose. Her costume was similarly stylish and pretty. Her costume was like a leotard, except it had a double-layered skirt attached to the hipline and without leggings. The top part of the skirt was a lighter pink than the bottom. Her leotard was mostly pink, but the sleeves were blue from the elbows downward, as well as a blue band above each elbow. The sleeves covered all the way up to half an inch from her wrists. The front and back of her torso had a thick, blue stripe line on the center. On her chest and some of her abdomen was an emblem of a colorful sun, with gold rays and a lighter yellow core. Despite the size of her bust the sun wasn't amorphous at all. Finally, her boots were also pink, and rose up to just under her bare knees. Her heels were an inch tall, and clicked almost rhythmically on the floor as she walked.

"What a long day!" she said as she stretched. Despite appearing so beautiful and elegant, some rather _un_-elegant, loud pops came from her joints as she stretched. She tensed her body up and giggled in embarrassment. "Oh, I'm sorry, Duckworth!" She opened her eyes, expecting to see the butler. "I didn't mean for you to hear—_oh_!" She covered her mouth, her almond-shaped eyes wide in surprise. Behind the mask her eyes appeared as two large, black pupils. They obviously weren't her real eye color, and were probably that way just because of the mask, much like how the Masked Mallard and Dreamchild's eyes were solid white. She smiled meekly and pressed her hands to the top of her chest. "Oh, my— I-I'm _so _sorry, sir! I, uh…"

Duckworth had cringed slightly when Sunshine's joints popped. It was bizarre for him to hear those disgusting sounds come from such a refined lady, but he reminded himself that Sunshine fought crime on a daily basis, so, naturally, her joints were stressed. It had to wear the body out. After her reaction to the guest, he cleared his throat and pointed both opened palms to the newcomer, like an announcer in a stage show, though his voice was anything but excited. "Mistress Sunshine, allow me to introduce you to Master Hercules. He is our newest member."

Hercules couldn't remember the last time he was so tense. His cheeks were red like tomatoes, his hands clutched to himself (still in his crossed arms pose), and he stammered. "Uh, h-h-h-huh-h-hi. I, I-I, I…"

Sunshine, who was just as shy as he was, smiled nervously. "It's… it's nice to meet you, Hercules. M-my name is Sunshine." She looked to Duckworth. "So, he _is _a trusted member now?"

"Evidently so," the butler replied matter-of-factly, as always. "He passed his simulated training by leaps and bounds, and, as I gather from what Mistress Dreamchild told me, his strength compares to yours."

Sunshine, clearly impressed, looked to Hercules with an even friendlier smile. "_Really_?" She offered her right hand to shake. "Then I-I'm happy to meet you, Hercules."

Hercules's hand trembled as he reached for that dainty, slender, delicate, fragile hand. He was terrified to break it, despite all the allegations that she was every bit as strong as him, if not more. "Uh, th-thanks." He clasped his hand over hers and was shocked to feel how warm it was. It was warmer than any normal human's hand could be.

Sunshine released her grip and briskly walked to the kitchen. "I'll be back. I'll just get my plate. You've worked long enough, Duckworth." She cast the butler another smile and disappeared into the kitchen. Once inside and alone—more importantly, away from those eyes—she covered her mouth, pressed her back against the wall and fought back the urge to say '_He's adorable_!' with all her might.

Even after she disappeared into the bright kitchen, Hercules's mouth remained open, his eyes fixated on where she once stood. Duckworth smirked as he rolled his eyes. He invited himself to gently grip Hercules's prominent chin and force his mouth close. "Mistress Sunshine _is_ quite radiant, but a gentleman never lets his tongue hit the floor."

"She's…" Hercules shut himself up. "Good night, Duckworth." He hurriedly ran back to his room.

"And what about your water?" Duckworth asked, but the question fell on deaf ears. "Oh, dear." He waited for Sunshine to return with her plate of food. "Anything else you can trouble me with? I brought the laundry here for easy folding, as usual."

Sunshine, her back straight against the chair like a regal princess, shook her head to him, smiling almost lovingly. "You do so much for us, Duckworth. If I may make one request, I would like you to go to bed and let me take care of the dishes after I'm finished."

Duckworth smiled strangely more than normal. "Oh, I couldn't. I _am _the butler, you see, and—"

"Please, Duckworth. It would make me happy. I wouldn't feel so guilty." Her smile was unwavering.

"You're so kind. Very well, if that will make you happy, I'll acquiesce. But do try and get a good night's sleep. Sleep deprivation weighs you down terribly." He hoisted up the laundry basket once again and started to leave, but Sunshine stopped him vocally.

"Who found him? Hercules, I mean."

"Mistress Dreamchild. She fought left brain hemisphere and right for him. He was the man who saved Alice from that truck."

Sunshine's fork dropped. "I didn't hear about this!"

"Yes, Hercules stepped in front of the moving truck and pushed it to a stop, sparing her life."

Sunshine smiled again. "Then… then his heart is pure. He can be a true hero. I've only known him for a minute, but… he seems… different."

"That's _one_ choice adjective. But I agree, I think he'll find his inner peace by helping others… if I may be saccharine. Now, if there's nothing further… oh, yes. Where is Master—"

Sunshine's eyes lit up in realization. "Oh, yes! He wanted to stay outside for a while. I think he's trying to catch a fish again." She giggled.

"Well, if he comes back and I'm not around, will you please let—?" He heard a rattle on the door. "Speak of the devil. I'll let him in." Again, he set the laundry basket down and returned to the front door.

Sunshine resumed eating, deep in thought about Hercules. She smiled as she imagined challenging Hercules to a good-natured spar. Her eyes crinkled at the thought; finally, a chance to have a good, friendly match against someone kind and pure, not an amoral convict. If his strength was really close to her own, she was very curious to see him in action. Of course, she _would_ eventually have to fight against him, regardless of her desire. She was told by the Masked Mallard, months ago, that if another physically strong person joined the Dream League, Sunshine would be his or her final opponent in the _real _physical training, separate from the simulation training. She would have a nice, little match against Hercules after all.

"Please win," she whispered to herself as she thought about that gentle, almost childish expression on his face. "Please." She sighed tenderly.

Back in his room, Hercules covered his face with his hands as he sat on the bed. "I'm a loser. I can't even handle talking to a pretty girl?" He was wrong. She wasn't pretty; she was _hot_—both figuratively and literally. He shook his head and lied on his back. "Oh, what's the point? I shouldn't freak out. Girls like her would never go out with me, anyway." He scoffed at himself for even _thinking_ there was a chance he could get a girlfriend in his lifetime. "Whatever. Sunshine looks like she can be a good friend. That'll be great."

He sighed as he turned off the light. He fell asleep within an hour, on top of the blankets.

Eventually, his door opened and something quietly padded inside.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

-Based on characters created by The Walt Disney Company.

-The Dream League concept was created by Joseph Label and Andrew "Heffy" Wamboldt

-Special thanks to Emma Brown for acting as Wonderboy's consultant, as well as coming up with the idea of Hercules and Alice's meeting.

-"Wonderboy" created by Emma.

-"Dreamchild" and "Sunshine" created by Joseph.

-"Sunshine's" current costume by Heffy.

-While the basis of "The Masked Mallard" was created by Disney, Nicole H. (One Lucky Unicorn) expanded the character vastly for the Dream League.

-Collin Davis was the first to make the "despite the size of her bust, the sun wasn't amorphous" joke. Thank him!


	3. Issue 2 - Zero to Hero Part II

_ULTIMATE DREAM LEAGUE_

_ISSUE #2_

**_"ZERO TO HERO PART II"_**

Written by Joseph Label

Full credits at the end of the issue.

The next morning, Hercules's eyes fluttered opened. He could hear the rolling waves outside, passing seagulls, and a good breeze. He loved how the morning greeted him. He smiled as he recalled the previous night. He felt so strange… happy yet anxious. The pressure inside his chest was both out of excitement and nervousness. He didn't know what would become of this, but he had to try. He already gave his word.

He sighed and rolled over on the bed. He slept on top of the covers, but he found someone else sleeping at the opposite edge. And it wasn't human.

A little bear had pulled most of the blankets to himself and had bundled himself all over his body up to the top of his head. Even the back of his head was covered; he looked like if _E.T_. was furry. He had a smile on his muzzle, despite being asleep.

Hercules stared at the slumbering bear cub with a crooked mouth. _Oookay_, he thought._ That's weird._ He was surprised to find himself not running away screaming like a girl. He wondered why he wasn't frightened, but he quickly assumed the previous day's events made him blasé about freaky stuff. Still, he was curious as to why a bear slept with him. He felt he deserved to at least know that!

"Uh, excuse me. Hello?" He gently nudged the bear.

The bear's eyes slightly opened, looked to him, and then closed again. He was still very groggy.

"Hey! Little buddy!" Hercules gently gripped the little bear and shook him enough.

The bear slowly unbundled himself and sat upright. He stretched, yawned, smacked his mouth and scratched his back. His eyes were still groggy but only for about a half minute. Then he shook his head to come to his senses. He was in cute pajamas, with patterns featuring the famous retro cartoon character, Orange Bird scattered all around.

_Okay, that's really cute_, Herc thought with an amused smile. "Good morning!" He cracked his neck and exhaled with the last pop. "Are you the Dream League's pet?"

The bear's eyes opened fully, his ears having twitched at the question. He stared at the man and, with a carefree smile, shook his head.

Hercules was about to ask further, but a voice behind him got both of their attention. "Good morning, gentlemen!" It was Dreamchild, and she was in a long, _Doctor Who_-themed black night shirt, and a pair of knee-high, purple and pink striped socks. Her hair was very messy, but her eye mask remained in place.

"Oh, hey!" Hercules answered with a friendly grin. "Wh-what's this bear's name?"

Dreamchild smiled excitedly. "That _bear_ once saved two children and their father's lives. He is a fellow hero. Hercules, meet Bongo. Bongo, meet Hercules."

Bongo happily grabbed one of the man's large hands and shook it so rapidly that the man practically clattered. "He-e-ey!" Hercules greeted him happily despite the fluctuation his voice made. "N-n-nice t-to-o m-meet'cha!"

Bongo jumped off the bed and ran into Dreamchild to hug her. She was Bongo's favorite human in the whole world. The girl tightly embraced him in return. "Yes, Bongo. I love you, too. Though I'm surprised you came here instead of my room. You left me all alone." She pulled down her bottom lip and her white eyes sunk. She played hurt very convincingly.

Bongo released the hug and shook his head. He pointed to Hercules fervently and whined.

Dreamchild giggled and scratched behind one of his ears. "Oh, Bongo, you can sleep wherever you'd like." The bear started thumping the floor like a rabbit because she scratched the right spot. "And I know you were curious to meet our new teammate, Hercules."

"So, he can't talk," Hercules said, "but he understands English?"

"Yes. He's a clever, little thing." She ruffled Bongo's head which was missing his usual hat. "Well, I'm going to get ready. And, Hercules, you may shower, too. I'm sorry we don't have an extra set of clothes for you. Let alone clothes that could, erm, fit. No offense."

"Nah, don't worry about me. I'm not that ripe yet." Hercules lifted up his right arm and smelled his pit in jest. "I think."

Dreamchild winced in amused disgust and started to leave. "Hehe. I'll see you soon!"

"Wait, DC!" Hercules called after her.

She turned without losing a hint of patience. "Yes?"

"Is… is Sunshine up yet?"

Dreamchild smiled. "_Oh_! So you met her! Um, no. She usually sleeps in on Saturday mornings. And nobody sleeps in like her. _Nobody_. You'll see. I mean, sometimes she'll wake early, but sometimes… it takes a lot to wake her up." She left but returned a few seconds later to make one more tease. "Herrrrculeeeeeees? She _is _pretty, isn't she?" She grinned.

Hercules flinched and looked away. "Uh, yeah. Kinda. I mean, _yeah_!" He looked at her with annoyance.

Dreamchild giggled. "The only thing more beautiful than her face is her voice. Wait until you hear her sing. Anyway, I'll see you soon." She vanished to her room, closing it behind her with an audible lock.

"That girl is so… weird." Hercules scratched his head. "I-in a _good _way! She's so different. She's way smarter than a normal twelve-year-old, and her humor is very… uh… highbrow. I guess." He turned to speak to Bongo. "Hey, B—" Bongo's pajamas flopped against his face. He pulled them down to see the 'naked' bear happily skip his way to the bathroom, wearing a little towel wrapped around his head like a turban. He slammed the door behind him so hard that various objects in the bedroom rattled.

"A showering bear. That's… well. That's another thing off the list of things to see before I die. Heh. This is weird. This is…" He started laughing. He laughed so hard that he lied on the bed once again and just continued. "I had no idea all this happened no more than 20 miles away! _Jeez_! I don't believe it. Man…" He wheezed at the end of his laugh, got up, noticed the window and approached it. It was a beautiful day, and the ocean was very tempting.

"If only she was here," he spoke of his beloved cousin, who was still in Italy as a foreign exchange student. "She'd love this!"

He turned and saw his reflection in a mirror. He hoped that he would soon look into a mirror and see a reflection worth something.

* * *

At breakfast Hercules was the second to arrive at the table. The Masked Mallard was the first, once again seated at the end. The duck was already at the table, reading the newspaper. Despite his intimidating yet refined costume, his casual posture while reading the morning paper amused Herc.

"Good morning," said the Mallard, glancing up. He knew it was the newcomer, judging by the heavy footsteps.

Hercules replied with a smile. "Mornin', Masked Mallard!"

"Aye, that's quite the alliteration, lad," the Mallard chuckled.

"Oh, uh. Sorry." He gripped a chair, but the Mallard vocally stopped him before he could pull.

"Ah, pick a different one. Bongo is partial to that chair. Don't ask me why."

"Oookay. Uh." He picked a different chair and sat down. Every time he sat on a chair or a bench he had the irrational fear of breaking it under his weight, like his muscles would prank him.

"So, have you decided?" The Masked Mallard folded the newspaper on the table and pushed it aside, his focus on the man. His white eyes bore into the new recruit.

"Yeah… I'm in. I'll give it a try."

The old duck with the sideburns and a pair of tiny glasses on his bill grinned. "Good, lad. Now you'll need to think of a pseudonym, unless you want the world to know you as Hercules."

"But I dunno what I could be called." He posed his arms comically to emphasize his joke. "How about… Terror Farmer!"

"Not… the catchiest I ever heard." The Masked Mallard turned his attention to Bongo, who ran to his favorite chair and eagerly seated himself. "Good morning, Bongo."

Bongo grinned to what was arguably the team's commander and pulled up his tiny circus cap, which was attached to a flexible, string-like band. Bongo's costume was very simple. He wore a long-sleeved, circus-esque red jacket with a single zipper line going down the middle of the front. He had a large, baby blue bowtie that was affixed around his high-rise shirt collar, which was white. And, of course, his red hat with the bottom half covered by a gold band.

"I assume you've met Bongo?" the Mallard spoke to Hercules.

The man nodded and waved to the bear. "Yeah, I did. He was on my bed. Hey, Bongo." He couldn't help but feel a little giddy when the adorable bear waved in return. He figured he would treat the bear like a kid brother rather than a pet. "Hey, I was wondering… why do you like that chair so much?"

"Because," Dreamchild said as she approached the chair that faced Bongo from the opposite end of the table, "I usually sit here, and that way we can look at each other." She smiled to the furry animal. "Isn't that right?"

Bongo nodded eagerly. He gladly held Dreamchild's hand when she reached from the other side of the table.

Hercules smiled at the two friends. By now it was obvious Bongo loved her terribly. He wanted to know why simply because it piqued his interest, but he decided to ask later.

"As of now, the party's arrived," Duck Avenger confidently said as he walked in. His cape billowed nicely with each step.

"Or the party _pooper_?" the Masked Mallard quipped.

"Nice to see ya, too." He rolled his eyes at him, but acknowledged the existence of the other heroes. "Hey, everybody." He selected a chair, one empty seat away from Hercules. Like the night before, he didn't want to be cramped by the man's muscles if he sat right next to him. "So, Herc, are you in or out?"

"In," Hercules replied.

"Nice. You're gonna help out a lot. I can tell." The Avenger was the first to notice the last member of the team arriving. "Heeeyyyy. Good morning, sleeping beauty!"

"Good morning!" Sunshine practically sang as she walked out. She, Duck Avenger, and Dreamchild were in the same costumes as the night before (or at least clean duplicates), although the females' hairs were still damp from their showers. Bongo's fur was a little poofy from the blowdryer. Sunshine smiled warmly to Hercules as she took the chair closest to the Masked Mallard. "Good morning, Hercules. Are you going to join the team?"

She was way more gorgeous under brighter light. This was almost painful. Under the table Hercules's feet crossed, and his hands gripped the sides of his chair. He tried his very best to remain calm when addressed. "U-uh, good morning, Su-Su-Sunshine! And, _yeah_!" His voice almost cracked, but he hid it well by clearing his throat. "I am! I'm… uh…"

"We were just brainstorming possible names for our new hero," said the Mallard.

"The Entrails Puller," Duck Avenger immediately suggested. His comic timing was impeccable.

Dreamchild's lips tugged. "Charming."

Upon hearing that joke suggestion, Sunshine half closed her left eye and cringed, exposing her white teeth.

"What about… something relating to Greece?" Dreamchild asked.

"Well, if he could control lightning he could be Greece Lightning." Duck Avenger snickered.

By this point, Duckworth came out of the kitchen with a large tray of breakfast plates, which he carried as if it was nothing. He started to place each meal in front of the members, one by one.

Duck Avenger shot up and pointed to Hercules. "I got it! Knuckle Sandwich!" He immediately retracted his finger and rubbed his lower bill. "No, no, no."

"Ooh!" Dreamchild's eyes widened. "What about Vigor?"

Bongo had a great suggestion, but it would forever remain a mystery.

Duck Avenger slammed his fists on the table. "Farmer Brawl! 'He's got a livestock… of _carnage_!'"

Duckworth politely offered his 'suggestion' as he set the last plate down, coincidentally in front of Hercules. "Wonderboy." He left without another word.

Everyone fell silent for a moment. Eventually, Dreamchild and the Avenger started laughing, while the Masked Mallard smirked in amusement.

"_Wonderboy_?" Duck Avenger said. "Come on, look at him! He's not a boy!"

Dreamchild finished giggling and cleared her throat, hoping to not come off as offensive. "Forgive me, Hercules. I didn't mean to be rude."

"No, it's okay." Hercules laughed awkwardly. "I mean, _Wonderboy_? Pffft. Wonderboy sounds dumb, anyway. I bet Sunshine thinks… Sunshine?" He noticed how she appeared deep in thought.

"Actually," Sunshine spoke softly. "I… I like Wonderboy." She twisted her arms daintily and looked away in embarrassment, as if offering her opinion was uncalled for.

"W… why?" Hercules asked.

The Avenger, the Mallard, Dreamchild, and Bongo all exchanged glances as Sunshine explained herself.

"Because," Sunshine answered, "you seem like a… _please_ don't be offended, and I've only known you very briefly. But…" She looked directly to him, her eyes and lips exuding warmth. "I could be wrong, but talking to you and… searching you, you seem to… be going through an awakening within yourself. We _all _were like children finding ourselves when we joined the Dream League. If you haven't already, I think… maybe you're on the verge of finding yourself, too. And, to _me_, the name Wonderboy evokes that sense of self-discovery, as if your spirit is like a, a-a boy on the cusp of growing up and finding his purpose. And…" After a pause, she grinned warmly, eyes crinkled. "Hehe. It just _sounds_ nice."

There was a long pause.

"See," Duck Avenger said, pointing to the young woman. "She's both pretty _and _smart. She's not a dumb blonde at all."

"_Hey_, now!" the Masked Mallard exclaimed threateningly to the Avenger.

"Thank you. That compliment was… awkward, but appreciated." Sunshine eyed him playfully.

"Well, now that Sunshine has explained it _that _way…" Dreamchild said, obviously a little embarrassed. "I feel like utterly thickheaded. I like Wonderboy more now, yes. And, besides, I'm not really a child anymore. I'll be thirteen sooner than later!" She smiled. "There's nothing wrong with having 'boy' in your alias."

Hercules's heart had absolutely melted when he was analyzed by Sunshine. "Thanks, Sunshine. I'll… think about it." He also realized that Sunshine herself was an example: he knew that the word Sunshine wasn't exactly intimidating, but it was the person that counted, not the name.

The Masked Mallard cleared his throat. "Since we're on track for a name, now we need to consider an… _alibi_ for him."

Hercules blinked. "An alibi?"

"He's talkin' about what you'll tell your folks back home," Duck Avenger said, obviously well versed in the matter. "Unless you're okay with them knowing you're gonna be a superhero risking life and limb on the clock, you're gonna have to lie." He pointed to the English girl. "Look at DC. She's only twelve; ya think _her _family would be fine with this?" It was impossible to see but Dreamchild's eyes rolled.

Sunshine shifted in her chair uncomfortably. "_Lying_ is a strong word. I prefer… _disinformation_."

"Well, then he should learn how to _dis_inform his parents," the Avenger replied sarcastically. "Unless they'd be okay with it, that is! Hey, I can't decide for him."

"I've discussed this matter with Mr. Scrooge McDuck," the Masked Mallard said.

Wonderboy 'gently' hit the table with his palms, which was still enough to make the plates rattle. "_The _Scrooge McDuck?"

The Masked Mallard narrowly turned what started as a proud grin into an 'intrigued' smile. He mentally scolded himself for handling that one. "Aye, the one and only."

"He's the richest person in Calisota," Herc continued, "a-and the richest duck in the world!" Scrooge McDuck was a popular topic in his high school's economics class.

"The same. He is a secret benefactor to our cause, and he's willing to provide a faux job to your name."

The Avenger fought back a snicker. _Secret benefactor. Right_. But he did nod at the Mallard's explanation. "So, all ya have to do," he said to Hercules, "is just wave the papers to your parents' faces and tell 'em you landed a job under McDuck. Yeah, we talked about it. Think of it all like, uh… havin' a fist full of Monopoly money, except the money looks uncannily real."

"I never was good at that game," Hercules said. "I prefer Risk."

Dreamchild beamed. "Cluedo will always be my favorite."

"It's called Clue here in the States," Duck Avenger joked in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Cluedo sounds far better!" Dreamchild retorted with feigned indignation.

Duck Avenger laughed. The Masked Mallard, however, was lost in his own thoughts. _Monopoly is _not_ a child's game! It can actually be a real challenge, especially if…_

Sunshine looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry, but… what are you all talking about?"

Hercules made a special note of that question. He gave her a slightly puzzled look, but he quickly moved past his confusion and addressed the Masked Mallard again. "Please thank Mr. McDuck for the help, 'cause this was bugging me all night. Heh. And my home isn't too far away, so…"

The Masked Mallard's white eyes blinked rapidly and he cleared his throat, back from thinking about money. "Ah-hem. Yes, lad! And you're welcome to lodge here any time. All of you aren't paid, of course, but you _are _provided for as long as you're here."

"Superheroes don't get paid?" Hercules sounded a little disappointed.

"Considering that every mission carries a large risk," Dreamchild said, "the fact that we don't have to pay rent is very fortunate." All eyes looked to her. "Not that I would know anything about what it's like paying rent yet, of course." She shrugged helplessly.

"Yeah, that's true." Hercules smiled meekly and rubbed the back of his head. "Guess provided lodging's better than nothing."

"We should still get paid," Duck Avenger bitterly muttered. "There, said it."

"Heard it," Masked Mallard muttered in return.

"Fighting every day, though, risky missions…" Herc shrugged. "I gotta get used to that risky part."

"I thought you said you liked Risk?" Dreamchild asked with a soft grin.

Hercules smirked to her. "Touché." He really appreciated Dreamchild. Her wit, intelligence, and understanding of dire situations impressed him so much. That's when he remembered her name: Alice.

"I just noticed Bongo is gone," Sunshine said, pointing to his empty chair and his licked-clean plate. "Oh, dear. We must have been so invested the conversation…"

"Well, I suppose none of us would pass a babysitting test," the Mallard quipped.

"He got tired of us yappin'," Duck Avenger said. "Sometimes that bear's right."

"All right," the Mallard said as he took his own fork. "Our breakfast won't eat itself."

"Thank you, Duckworth!" Sunshine nearly shouted. "I forgot to thank you, I'm sorry!"

"You're welcome!" Duckworth replied from the kitchen. "And thank you for doing the dishes last night… _and_ cleaning the floor…"

"You're a real showoff, Sunny," Duck Avenger said. He waited until Sunshine looked at him before he smirked. "Don't change."

Sunshine blushed and looked down to her plate.

Hercules wanted to know more about the enigmatic Sunshine, but that wouldn't happen for some time.

* * *

After eating his breakfast and leaving quietly, Bongo wandered around. The little bear, only about two years old, lost interest in the breakfast conversation, mostly because he couldn't talk. But that wouldn't spoil his day! He always tried to be happy and carefree all the time, just like Sunny. He wanted to make other people happy, too.

In fact, that desire gave him an idea. He entered Dreamchild's room, which was his favorite room because it housed his favorite girl. He didn't understand everything inside the room, though, such as the posters of a clay man and his dog. But the blue blanket on top of the white bed sheets was unmistakably Dreamchild's trademark: blue and white. The bear wanted to do something for her. That's when he remembered the Crayola crayons she got for him, and the notebook of blank pages.

Like a child, the bear excitedly ran to the shelf, took the box of crayons and the notebook, and lied down on his belly. It was awkward for him to use those fragile things (not only because he lacked opposable thumbs, but also because of his strength), but he was getting better at it. And, while crude, the heart he drew for Dreamchild to find was enough to make the little guy proud.

* * *

Just after they all had finished breakfast, Duckworth briskly walked back to the dining room with a cell phone pressed to his left ear. "Master Mallard, Chief O'Hara is on the line," he said to the boss. Despite the obvious urgency of the matter he remained visibly unfazed.

The Masked Mallard took the cell phone, which always remained inside the Overlook and was custom made without an official service provider to avoid detection, and nodded as he listened. "I understand. I'll send some of the League now. Help is on the way!" He disconnected the call and confidently tossed the phone up. With his eyes closed, Duckworth reached out, grabbed the phone before it could fall, and pocketed it in his purple jacket.

Hercules wondered if Duckworth had a superpower of his own… hyper-reflexed butlery or something.

"There's a stickup at the First Epcot Bank," the Mallard said with little excitement.

Dreamchild couldn't help but smile. Hearing the word 'bank' brought back memories of one of her first jobs a few years ago, where she saved the Dawes, Tomes, Mousley & Grubbs Fidelity Fiduciary Bank. Goodness, that bank's name was always long-winded.

Hercules jumped up. "Then let's go! Where do you keep spare costumes?" Duck Avenger snickered and Sunshine looked away, not wishing to cripple his excitement. "W-what?" he asked.

"Now, just hold your horses, Hercules," the Masked Mallard said, almost like a nagging father. "You can't get too ready just yet! We haven't even started on your costume!"

Sunshine stood up and started to walk. "Please forgive my forwardness, but we should be going." She looked to Hercules over her shoulder, offering a warm smile. "You should be ready soon." Compassionate yet awkward, she was the first to leave the mansion.

Dreamchild looked to Hercules. "I'll help him with his costume, if nobody objects."

"Fine idea," the Masked Mallard said, also rising to his webbed feet. "I'll maintain the surveillance room." Hercules had forgotten that he hadn't seen even a quarter of the mansion, both outside and in. Just how big was this HQ?

"Then that leaves Sunny, Bongo, and me." The Avenger said this as Bongo, who had obviously heard from Dreamchild's room, bounded in. "Ready to go fight some bad guys, little guy?" His tone to the bear was like that of an uncle. "Sunny already took off, so we'd better move it."

Bongo nodded eagerly. He grabbed his unicycle from near the door as he and the Avenger left.

Dreamchild approached Hercules and gently patted his shoulder. "Don't look disappointed. Making a costume is quicker than it sounds."

"_You'll_ make it?" Hercules asked the girl.

The Mallard chuckled as he started to leave the room. "No. But Dreamchild will take you there."

Dreamchild smiled as she removed her eye mask and revealed her two sapphires. "I know how to sew… sufficiently," she explained. "I _had to_ back in England two years ago, when I first became Dreamchild." It was bizarre how different she looked without that single mask. "But our Dream League costumes need to be durable _and_ flexible. Cheap fabric won't do… which my first costume was." She chuckled. "Anyway, wait for me to change and we'll go together. Duckworth will take us, definitely."

"Where to?" Hercules asked.

* * *

"Here it is," Alice Liddell said to her much taller companion. She looked very cute in her white T-shirt with a union jack on the chest, bell-bottomed jeans, and black sneakers. She had a black watch on her left wrist. She had a big and white purse hung over her left shoulder. She waved off to Duckworth as he drove away in that sleek, black convertible that, known strictly only to the Dream League, also acted as a fast boat with the press of a button. Duckworth simply reached a secluded, quiet shore and returned to the mainland's roads from there.

Hercules, who looked like such a big fish out of water in his hick clothes, stared at the large driveway beyond the black gate… with obvious laser beams in place of railing. "This is where we get cos—"

_**Hercules,**_ Alice mentally said while physically 'appearing' normal,_** remember that you're in public as yourself, not your alter ego. You cannot put us in danger. I am Alice. Dreamchild should not exist in your life. Understand?**_

_**Oh, yeah. Sorry.**_ He looked away sheepishly.

_**Thank you!**_ she thought politely. She approached the panel beside the gate and the screen instantaneously showed live camera feed of a security guard in a black suit and sunglasses.

"Do you have an appointment?" he asked sternly.

"I'm terribly sorry, but no," Alice replied. Her English accent made any apology sound all the more sincere. "But this is an emergency, and I was hoping that we might—"

"I'm sorry, kid, but you must have an appointment, so—ow! Hey!" The guard was pushed aside by an unseen force.

"Move it, go on! I'll take it from here. What'm I paying you for, anyway?" The person was revealed to be very tiny, because she could only tilt her head up to the camera show her hair, two eyes behind large glasses, and nostrils. "Who are you? What d'you want?"

Alice smiled politely. "Hello, Edna Mode. It's me, Alice."

The eyes widened and her head bobbed in delight. "_Dahling_! Hello, Alice! And…" She looked to the man standing beside her. "Who is he?"

Alice pointed to him with a half turn. "This is my new friend, Hercules." The man waved uncomfortably.

The woman studied him with beady, suspicious eyes. "… Should I be concerned?"

"We're _not _dating!" Alice laughed even through her obvious embarrassment, but Hercules was red in the face. He turned to hide his cheeks from the camera and wanted to escape under a big rock and stay there.

"Juuuuust checking. Anyway, come in! Come in! Should have taken a car; you're in for a hike." The video feed blinked off. The laser beams dispensed as the gate unlocked and parted from the middle, allowing Alice and Hercules to start the long, winding driveway up to the large structure, which honestly resembled a 1960s pad more than anything else.

"Wow, this driveway sure is long," Hercules said.

"Yes, it is," Alice replied. Her tone lacked his sense of wonder over the property. She must have been familiar with it (and she was).

"Yeah, we should've let Duckworth drive up here. I mean, why did you…" He mentally spoke to her. _**Sorry. Anyway, you could use your powers to float, right? I mean, no one's looking. The walls here are huge, and we're already shut in.**_

Alice smiled as she continued walking but she didn't look at him. _**Exercising is always important, Hercules. The biggest mistake you can do is rest on your superpowered laurels.**_ This time she looked to him. _**I'm not physically strong. My mental powers are—if you'll forgive my arrogance— She giggled. —devastating, but I'm still a little girl. I'm actually very weak. I have trouble lifting a bowling ball. If I get shot by a bullet… it's most certain to disagree with me sooner than later, wouldn't you say?**_

The mental image profoundly disturbed Hercules. _**B-but exercising isn't gonna stop a bullet.**_

_**Oh, please stop.**_She gently nudged him. _**A little exercise will do us good.**_

He stopped and held her to stop with him. _**Wait a minute. I have an idea. I can do another test right now!**_

The girl looked to him curiously. _**What do you mean?**_

_**I have a lot of stamina! Could I…?**_

It took a moment for Alice to understand him. _**You want to carry me and run full speed?**_

_**Yeah!**_ He nodded.

_**But we're not dating!**_ She grinned as he winced and groaned. Anyone watching, and there was no one, would have been puzzled to see a man go from smiling to cringing without any apparent provocation. She looked around and concluded that it was safe to reveal powers, if done quietly. _**Very well. Let's go.**_

He carried her with both arms and ran full speed up the driveway. He didn't lose his breath at all, nor did he ever slow down. His speed wasn't like a blur or anything, but for a man of his build it was very impressive. He set the girl down when they arrived at the steps leading up to the front door.

_**Well?**_He grinned.

_**Very good,**_ Alice pleasantly thought in return._** You're not really out of breath, are you?**_

_**Nah!**_He flapped his hands. _**I once pulled Pa's car after it broke down just as it reached the farm.**_

_**Fascinating. You will be a great asset to our team.**_ She faced the door and walked up the steps. _**Now, prepare yourself. Edna is a brilliant woman, but she's… a bit peculiar.**_

_**At this point I'm kinda used to it,**_ Herc thought jokingly.

_**Are you talking about me, sir?**_ she teased.

_**That wasn't fair!**_

The girl straightened her purse and opened the large, gold door.

* * *

"_So_ good to see you, dahling," Edna said to Alice as they walked down the long, enclosed hallway. The woman was ridiculously short, even shorter than Alice (and the English girl was _twelve_, and only about five feet even). But this didn't seem to bother the woman in the slightest. She had an air of great pride and authority to her. She had a keen sense of fashion, wearing a unique casual dress with sleeves that resembled reptilian scales, a hot pink cravat, and thigh-high boots that Hercules mistook for stockings. Her silky hair was short, not even reaching her shoulders. Her eyes were brown and slanted. She looked Japanese but her accent sounded more German than anything.

"It's great to see you, too, Edna," Alice humbly replied. "I read your article in the _Main Street Times_. It was compelling."

"Oh, feh," Edna scoffed as she swayed her hand in the air. "Don't be so modest. All I did was state the obvious: there is _nothing _super about supermodels. Bye-bye, feeling of self-worth. Pah!" She grinned almost deviously as she looked to the girl. "But I saw _you_ on the news last week, dahling."

"Oh, that." Alice shrugged like it was nothing. "Believe it or not, that's not the first time I jumped off a bridge."

"But onto a speeding train! You must have got the _jump_ on him!" The woman's voice took a darker turn. She hunched forward and bent her tiny fingers in the air like she was milking some invisible cow no one could see.

_This is one weird conversation_, Hercules thought privately.

They passed vases of all shapes and sizes, all exotic and priceless. Hercules walked behind and kept his arms closer to his chest than normal. He was frightened of accidentally breaking any one of these vases. He had bad memories of breaking things in stores as a child, with people staring at him… whispering to each other about him; those accusing eyes, those disdainful laughs. He shook his head, holding back his memories.

"Quackerjack didn't expect that, certainly," the girl replied. "After all, when a little boy is playing with his choo-choo, as he called it, he tends to be distracted. I simply handed him an _un_birthday cake and that did the trick. Although I suppose he hates me with a vengeance now."

"Ha! Well, enough chit-chat. What do you want? You dropped in without a call, you naughty girl."

"Yes," Alice said, "and I'm very sorry that we came here uninvited. But, you see, I—_we_ recruited a new member, and—"

"_The Silence_!" Edna burst as she pivoted and stopped Hercules in his tracks. "Is that your alias? Why're you _so quiet_?!"

"Uh, uh… uh..." Hercules stammered. He looked helplessly to the girl. "I—I, uh…"

"He needs a suit," the girl replied. She felt sorry for Hercules; he clearly wasn't ready for Edna's overbearing personality. "He's the new member of our team."

"Hm." Edna's lips twisted and her eyes narrowed to slits. Her reaction was impossible to determine if it was positive or not. She spun and briskly walked down the stairs into the main room. "This way, dahlings."

Alice's black sneakers occasionally squeaked on the marble steps as she made her way down. "Only look behind you after you reach the floor," she said to him.

Hercules decided to look behind him before he reached the floor, and he nearly stumbled as he saw a beautiful sculptured mural of mythical beings. The mural appeared to be made of white marble. But, of course, he nearly tripped looking at it. "Whoa!"

"I told you," Alice said playfully.

"So, Hercules…" Edna hopped onto a chair that, frankly, was much larger than what should be appropriate for her. The chairs were like black squares hollowed in the center and with red cushions. "What is your power?"

Alice took her seat, crossing her legs elegantly as she silently participated in the conversation. Hercules took another seat. The three formed a triangle because of where they each chose to sit. In the center of the chairs was a table made of black marble. It was missing a center, obviously intended to be chic.

"Uh, Mrs. Mode—Ms. Mode—"

"E, dahling," Edna insisted.

"E… I'm… really strong." Surprisingly, he didn't look cramped in the chair. Alice looked a little small, and Edna was, of course, tiny.

"How strong?" the woman asked, unimpressed.

"I saved Alice's life yesterday," he replied.

Edna looked to the girl. "Is this true? _You _were that girl from _The Evening Report_?"

"Yes, he did. He prevented a large truck from hitting me. He pushed it to a stop with his bare hands. He didn't get a scratch." She smiled to him. "Thank you again."

The woman was visibly more interested now. "Well, now." She hopped off her chair and sauntered to the man. "Your heart is big. But so are your biceps. Ooh." She pointed to his left arm, seemingly to his muscles. "May I…?"

Hercules assumed she wanted to feel his arm. He felt a little awkward, but he figured he'd allow it. "Uh, sure."

Edna immediately grabbed the end of that arm's sleeve, straightened it, and neatly folded it back in place, because it was loose and unsymmetrical before. "_Thank you_, dahling! _God_, that was driving me _mad_!" She hurried back to her chair, leaving an embarrassed Hercules behind.

Alice covered her mouth to hide a smile. She cleared her throat to gain the woman's attention. "Edna, we humbly ask that you create a suit for him. Please."

"I would, dahling," Edna replied to her, before turning her focus to the man once more. "But he must answer one question first."

Hercules licked his lips, nervous to speak. "Yeah?"

"Why do you want to be a hero?" E pressed her back against the chair and crossed her arms on her chest. She appeared defensive. "Why should I help you? _Why_? Why do you want to be a super?" She snapped her fingers at Alice, leaning forward. "And you will_ not_ feed him answers with that brain of yours!"

Alice raised her hands up in defense. "M-my lobes are sealed."

"Good." Edna slammed her back against the chair again, returning to her posture. "Weeeeelllll?"

Hercules thought for a long time. He tried to think of the right words to say, words that would make him seem profoundly intelligent. But he couldn't. He was never good at that stuff. He was never good at pretending to be normal to fit in with the others. So, he decided to just be honest. Edna looked pretty far away from being a therapist, but if this was where he had to let it out…

"Because," he stalled, "because I spent my life thinking I was a monster. Because I'm a freak. A walking klutz. Mr. Accident. Meathead. _Jerkules_. Whatever insult you can think of, I've been called it." His eyes were very sad. "I'd see a falling star and wish I could be normal. I had dreams of… having friends. Being liked. Being someone who… who knows where his life's heading. Someone who, who knows where he belongs." He swallowed back some emotion. He wasn't one to cry often but he did look pained. "I didn't want to be so strong. I thought I was cursed. It's tough growing up as it is, yeah, but… try growing up when your family is too afraid to hug you 'cause they think you'll break their spines." He looked to the side.

Alice's eyes were filled with sympathy and even got a little misty. She bit her lip as she listened, which, frankly, was difficult.

"But… when I saved Alice's life yesterday, I… I felt good. I was scared of being found out and I ran away, but deep down… I knew I did something right. I saved her life using the thing about me I hate the most. And then I found out she's… she's Dreamchild." He looked to her, smiling warmly. "The… t-the coolest superhero I ever met. I saw her take out crooks like, like it was _nothing_! But even Dreamchild… Alice Liddell… needed my help that day."

The compliments made Alice blush. She smiled very proudly to him. He was opening up more than ever before.

He returned his focus to Edna. "I don't know what's gonna happen to me now, what's gonna come of this. But, y-yeah, I feel like I have purpose now. I think I know my purpose now. It's to join the Dream League. It's to help people… even if you haven't been helped much before. I'm not in it for fame and glory. I'm in it to learn myself." He slumped in his chair, a little worn out from his impassioned speech. "That's why."

Alice's eyes brimmed with joy. Her warm smile made Hercules smile a little. She looked to the woman.

At first, E's reaction was the exact same as it had been when he started talking. But following a pause she smirked, which then opened into a grin. She lunged forward from her chair, tore open the circular table's drawer closest to her, ripped out a blank notepad and pen, and clicked said pen loudly. The clicking of her pen might as well have been the cocking of a trusted gun. Her eyes were passionate like fire. "Let's get to work!"

Alice didn't know if Edna had already made her decision and was only toying with Hercules, or if she was genuinely touched by his answer. She never asked, but she liked to think it was the latter, corny as it was.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sunshine, Bongo, and the Duck Avenger entered the First Bank. They immediately recognized their foes. They were three anthropomorphic beagles of varying sizes in brown boots, baggy jeans, red sweaters and green hats. Prison tags with numbers were attached to each of their sweaters.

"Oh, no," Duck Avenger groaned.

"The Beagle Boys," Sunshine stated much more politely.

Bongo rolled his eyes and shrugged. So much for a tough fight.

"Look!" the biggest Beagle with a cleft in his chin shouted. He pointed to the Dream League in a strange mixture of happiness and contempt. "Sunshine's here!" His voice was terribly gruff.

The fattest Beagle had a bite mark on his prison tag. His high-pitched, fluctuating voice made nails on the chalkboard sound like music. "Sunnyyyy! Heyyyy!"

The third Beagle, whose voice was also silly, was neither tall nor fat. "All right, show's over. Let's go!" He held up his Tommy gun, took aim and fired at Duck Avenger.

The Duck Knight was already airborne because of his grappling gun. The grappler hugged a beam in the high ceiling and launched him. He dropped a smoke bomb as he soared which clouded the Beagles. The Avenger would hide until he could safely attack.

The three Beagles coughed and squinted, unable to see anything around them except for items in very close proximity.

"Hey!" the fat Burger Beagle whined. "He's cheatin'!"

The huge Beagle, Bankjob, scratched his head as he looked upward. "Uh… where'd he go?"

"Forget about him!" the third Beagle, Bouncer, exclaimed. He pointed to two glowing hands in the fog. "What about _her_?"

"Oh, boy!" Burger shouted giddily. "We get to fight her!"

Bankjob held up his own Tommy gun and grinned as the other two Beagles readied theirs. "Dodge this, Sunny." They all pulled the triggers and fired at those the two glowing hands, but there was no sound of impact, and the sound of bullets dropped to the floor. "… Uh-oh." Bankjob could only say.

One of the hands, glowing like an ember, pointed to each of the Beagles and fired one tiny beam of solar energy, almost like a heated laser pointer. The beam was nowhere near fatal, but upon skin contact it felt like, for a second or two, pressing your finger against the inside of a very hot oven.

All three Beagles shouted variations of "Ouch!" and dropped their guns. Coincidentally, the smoke started to clear up by this time, and the last thing they saw before being apprehended was a small bear on a unicycle, pedaling to them like a bat out of hell.

"Here comes the pain," Bouncer said in anticipation.

Bongo didn't scatter them upon collision like a bowling ball to pins. He sped with all three of them, holding them into place as a bundle, and slammed them against the wall. Everyone inside the building felt the vibration of the crash, but no one had it worse than the Beagle Boys.

The bear, totally unscathed, pedaled back after dropping the three incapacitated crooks. He looked up at Sunny with a wide smile that practically asked, "Did I do good?"

Sunshine smiled and affectionately patted his back. "Very good, Bongo."

Duck Avenger dove from the ceiling, landed safely via his grapple and, wasting no moment, tied all through Beagles with a specially crafted steel rope that was impossible for them to have escaped, especially considering how the Avenger tied it. The former hostages inside the bank applauded passionately, and the three Dreamers posed in ways reflecting their personalities: Duck Avenger was smug, Bongo posed like had just performed a circus feat, and Sunshine was the shyest of the lot.

"That was so cool, Sunny!" Burger shouted after he regained his senses.

"Yeah!" Bankjob followed.

"We hope youse enjoyed this!" Bouncer said.

This puzzled the team greatly. "What's goin' on?" the Avenger asked. "You lost. Shouldn't ya be angry?"

"We don't care about robbin' today," the fat Beagle said. "Well, kinda!"

"We just wanted to see _Sunshine_," Bankjob followed.

"Yeah! Yer our favorite of the Dream League wimps, Sunny," Bouncer concluded. "When we shot guns at ya we knew ya wouldn't disappoint!"

Sunshine looked very confused. Her lips were pursed for a moment and then compressed as she thought of a response. "Um… Thank you?"

Burger blushed and closed his eyes. "Aw, she's so nice when she kicks our fannies, too. And that bear's like a teddy! Can I keep him? I can make him a guard bear!"

Bongo winced in disgust.

Duck Avenger was furious. He gripped Burger by his sweater and pulled him to eye level. "You tellin' me that you staged a bank robbery just so you could make your moves on Sunny and take Bongo?!" He felt himself being pulled away by said bear.

"You make it sound creepy!" Bouncer whined.

"'Cause it _is_ creepy!" The Avenger shouted. "There're easier ways to find a date! Ever heard of Zoosk?!"

"Hey, we don't like her like that!" Bouncer replied. "She's pretty, nice, and ain't boring to fight!"

Bankjob sneered at the Avenger. "Yeah! We just _like _her and like being _with_ her. And want to find a way to pummel her. Is _that _a crime?"

"And it weren't staged," Burger said. "We tried'ta steal. But y'all caught us. Sunny was just the cat we wanted to chase us rats!"

"Mice, idiot," Duck Avenger quipped.

"Hey!" Burger objected. "All us Beagles—"

"How many Beagles are there, anyway?" The Avenger was clearly the angriest here. "I've seen, like, a thousand of you!"

"We ask that, too!" Bouncer piped. "Even Ma Beagle don't know!"

Sunshine smiled meekly. "I'm flattered you like me so much, and want to… hurt me in the best way you can find." She approached them and looked into each of their eyes with kindness. "But do you know what would really make me happy?"

"What?!" all three Beagles responded in unison.

"If you stopped breaking the law from this day forth." She smiled hopefully. "Please?"

The three Beagles thought about it for a moment. They all came to the same answer. "Sorry, Sunny," Bankjob said. "No can-do."

"It's in the blood of every Beagle!" Bouncer proudly said.

Sunshine looked disappointed. "Well, then I'll continue to stop you if you ever commit acts of violence. But I would prefer if you were kinder to people." She looked around. "Well, um… is everyone all right?" They all nodded, all of them having watched the scene like an audience inside a movie theater. "In that case…" She looked to the Beagles again. "If you three really like me that much, will you please accept your arrest without resistance? I would _really_ appreciate it."

The Avenger shook his head. "I don't believe this. This is too exasperating."

Bongo also looked puzzled. He pushed his hat to the left so he could scratch the top of his head. What did 'exasperating' mean, anyway?

"For_ you_? Anything!" Bankjob answered.

"Yay!" Burger cheered. "We're gonna make her happy!"

"I'm sorry you can't think of another way to contact me," Sunshine continued to the Beagles, "but have you ever considered writing a letter? Anyway, I hope you've learned your lesson. You shouldn't scare citizens like that."

"Oh, don't worry!" Bankjob said with a grin. "Next time we won't scare 'em. We'll…"

"Don't tell 'em!" Bouncer chided.

"Tell 'em what?" Burger asked.

"About our next plan!" Bouncer answered.

"Oh, _that_ plan! The one with that short guy—"

"Shut up!" Bouncer roared.

"We'll stay put until your men show up," the Avenger said into his wristwatch-like communicator to the police. "No one was hurt. The Beagles just wanted to meet Sunshine and get some cash. … That's right, Sunshine. Yeah, she's here with me." Upon hearing the police officer's response, the Avenger shouted into the watch. "No, I _won't_ put her on the line! Get your men here now!" He hung up.

* * *

"It will be simple but stylish," Edna Mode said as she scribbled away at the notepad fervently. She occasionally glanced to Hercules to study him, but never for longer than a few seconds. "It will walk that fine line between bold and understated; less than a god, but more than a man. Yes, _yes_."

Hercules grinned. "H-how about a, a, uh, a Greek gladiator costume? With plates and—"

"And you wearing a skirt shorter than Sunshine's?" She delivered the alliterated, rhetorical question perfectly. She shook her head. "And it wouldn't cover your arms and legs. You're on the right track, dahling, but also dead wrong." She returned her focus to the notepad.

"Okay." Hercules crossed his arms. "Then how about… a big, blue cape—"

Edna had drawn everything Hercules said as he spoke. Already ruined because of the latest suggestion, she crumpled the page and threw it at his forehead. "No capes!"

"Why not?"

"Too many supers have died by the billowed hand of their own stupidity and arrogance, personified by a hideous demon… _the cape_." Her delivery was beyond melodramatic.

Hercules tensed. "But… but Duck Avenger—"

"Duck Avenger's appalling costume is _not _from me! If he wants to tighten his own noose and kick the chair, that's not _my_ problem! Fah!" She grumbled as she hid her face with her notebook, once again scribbling. "I threw him out after he denied the truth…" The rest was incomprehensible.

_**Hercules,**_ Alice mentally said to him, **_don't tell her about the Masked Mallard. He attached a cape to his costume, which was designed by Edna. He did it without her, erm, authorization. Clear?_**

_**Crystal**_. He acted casual.

When Edna was finished she jumped off her chair, onto the table, and ran along its surface all the way to Hercules. She forcibly shoved the notebook into his face. "What do you think?"

Hercules examined it carefully. A smile crossed his face. "It looks great. But… d-d'you mind if I make one little suggestion?"

"_No capes_!" Edna exclaimed.

"It's not that. Can I have the pen?" She gave it to him and he took the notepad. He carefully drew one last detail onto it and then showed her. "How about this?"

It was her turn to study it. Her eyes narrowed into barely open slits. Then they widened and she grinned. "For once in my career, a suggestion that's _decent_!" She snatched the notebook and pen and jumped off the table. "Very good. Alice, Hercules, you may go. Shoo. Run along."

Hercules stood up from the chair and instinctively reached for her as she started to leave. "But, wait! When can I expect the suit—"

Edna spun and wagged her free hand's index finger at him. "_Her_-_cu_-_les_! I'm a _very _busy woman! Do you have any idea what my schedule is like?!" She turned one last time and continued walking, waving her hand dismissively. "Come back in six hours."

"Thank you, Edna," Alice replied. She got up from her chair and approached Hercules. "Six hours. Hm… I suppose now would be a good time for you to take care of personal matters. I think I'll return to St. Blair."

"Your school," he answered.

"Yes, the same."

Hercules was the first to start the long walk through the corridor. "Ah, I just remembered. My car's still in that parking lot."

"Oh, dear," Alice said. "I forgot about that. I'm sorry!" She brought up her purse and snapped it open.

"Me, too!" He chuckled, but his laugh fizzled into an "Eggghh." He heard the purse opening and looked to her.

"Well, here." She retrieved money from inside.

"Oh, no." Hercules shook his head rapidly and gently pushed her hand away. "Thanks, but no thanks. You don't have to—"

"It's not my money. Don't worry." Alice smiled at the man's quizzical look.

"I thought you're a _hero_? Did you steal that?!"

"The Masked Mallard gave this to me to pass it to you. Well, he didn't give it to me. I… persuaded him to reimburse your parking fee. Please accept it; it's really because of _me _that you'll have to spend more for the ticket. You decided to come with me last night, true, but I _was_ rather… insistent. Remember? So, please take it."

With that explanation, Hercules took the money and pocketed it. "Thanks. But girls shouldn't carry that much. Besides, why does a twelve-year-old have a purse anyway?"

"I don't carry that much under normal circumstances. But my purse has something more."

"Oh, your costume?"

"Yes! Exactly." She chuckled softly. "You know what's funny? The Masked Mallard held onto the money for a second as I pulled, as if it was difficult for him." _Personally_, she thought to herself so Hercules could not hear her, _I think he's Scrooge McDuck. I think I've figured it out._

"In this economy I'd be afraid giving up a fiver." He opened the door and propped it open for the English girl. "Ladies first."

Alice smiled and bowed to him. "The chivalry is appreciated, thank you." She and Hercules left the property, and soon after starting their journey on the sidewalk, they were greeted by someone who surprised Alice. "Oh!" she called to her. "Hello!" She waved her down.

What approached was a beautiful teenage girl with long, golden hair tied into an elegant, high ponytail. The end of the ponytail was particularly fluffy and curled. She was in a white blouse with slightly flowing sleeves, a brown vest, and a brown pencil skirt. Her long, slender legs ended with black dress sandals without heels. She was incredibly beautiful, even with one 'imperfection': she had a pair of large, thick, black glasses in front of her almond-shaped, purple eyes. "Hello, Alice!" she said, her voice vaguely familiar to Hercules.

Hercules, once again uncomfortable, waved slightly. "H-hey."

The young woman with the purple eyes smiled at him in confident familiarity. "How are you today, sir?"

Alice grinned, a hand on her hip. "I believe you know her, Hercules."

He shrugged. "Sorry, but no. I'm good, though. Thanks for asking." _What's going on?_

Alice looked to her close friend. _**Should we tell him?**_

The woman nodded, her cheeks a little red. She couldn't drop her playful smile.

_**Hercules,**_ Alice said, _**this is Sunshine.**_

Hercules backed away in surprise, his eyes focused on her._** Wh-what?**_ He winced thinking that. Now he stuttered in his thoughts, too?!

Sunshine's alter ego, who had listened to the mental talk because of Alice, giggled and bowed her head respectfully. _**It's me, Hercules. When I'm dressed like a citizen I go by the name Briar Rose.**_ She offered her hand for a shake. As Hercules reached for that hand, he noticed a simple, golden ring on her index finger. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Briar Rose," she said aloud.

Hercules wondered if she was married, or engaged. But the ring was on her _right _hand, which was not customary, and on an index finger at that. He took the hand and immediately felt how normal it was. It wasn't hot at all. "Uh, h-h… hi. My name's Hercules. But you already knew that. Uh…"

Alice covered her mouth to stifle a giggle. _**Rose, did the bank job go well?**_

_**Oh, yes,**_ Briar Rose nodded, her purple eyes brimming with joy. _**Nobody was hurt, and it turned out the Beagle Boys just wanted to talk to me.**_ She blushed and shook her head, surprisingly not completely upset.

_**How… pathetically charming. But maybe that's the Beagles' way of expressing friendship.**_ The little girl crossed her arms on her chest.

_**After the police took them, Duck Avenger and Bongo wanted to return to the Overlook. I left them after changing in the Star Wisher, and then I just walked and… here I am! I wanted to check on you two.**_ Briar Rose looked to Edna Mode's gate. _**E is a little strange, but I love her. She called me a rose with deadly thorns.**_ She shook her head in amusement.

_**I think she likes me,**_ Hercules thought. _**At least, I get that impression.**_

_**She does,**_ Alice thought. _**Anyway, I'm going back to my dorm. As long as there's nothing important going on, I'd best get started on my homework.**_ She alternated between looking at her two colleagues. "Are you going to help Hercules find his car, Rose?"

"Hey!" Hercules semi-pouted. "I know where I parked my car! I resent that!" He forgot what level and section in the parking garage he parked, but he knew it was in that specific garage!

Rose smiled pleasantly. "I would love to. I'd like to learn more about him."

Hercules would be left alone… with _her_? And she wanted to learn more about him? He looked to Alice, almost about to plead this to not happen. "Uh…"

Alice nodded. "Well, then. I'd best be on my way. Good-bye for now!" She waved and walked away on her own. She retrieved her iPhone from her purse and casually called Duckworth. It was impossible to exploit that butler; he _loved _to help.

Briar Rose, alone with Hercules, started the walk first. "So, where is your car?"

"I'll take you there," Hercules said. "_To _the car. Not _in _the car." He nearly hit himself upon realizing how naïve he sounded.

Although he was considerably taller than her, she was nonetheless a rather tall woman. She was 5'11" in Sunshine's boots, but an inch shorter as a citizen. "I don't know how to drive." She giggled. "It's funny to think. I don't have a license."

"Really? How come? Oh, right. Never mind."

"Hehe."

"So, uh… I-I like your glasses."

Briar Rose looked up to him, amused and touched. "You do?"

"Yyyyeah. They're… black. And nice." _Smooth, Herc_._ Try sayin' that in a white tuxedo_.

"Thank you! I can't read without them, but I'm happy you like them."

"Soooo… uh, where're you from?"

"Oh… out of the city."

"Where?"

"Um. Out of the state."

"What state?"

"I'm not from America."

It finally occurred to Hercules that she wasn't going to give him a straight answer. "Cool. Well, uh…" She could have been a Martian and it wouldn't have changed his liking of her. Heck, that probably explained her powers.

"I'll tell you when I'm ready," she said. "I'm sorry, I-I don't mean to be impolite."

"Oh, no. It's okay. I'm just…" He changed the subject to something apropos of _nothing _they were talking about. "It sure is nice out!"

"Yes, it is." Briar Rose looked up to the blue sky, only partly obscured by clouds. "I love when clouds look big and fluffy. Hehe." She twisted her clasped hands daintily.

"Yeah, me, too. When clouds really look like clouds, and not… smoke, I guess."

A sudden entrance halted the couple. A man jumped from a corner of a building and landed in front of the two. "Hello, Rose," the tall and buff man (judging solely by appearance, he looked like Hercules's match) said. It was obvious he had seen her coming and waited to approach her, judging by his perfect entrance.

Briar Rose and Hercules stood in front of the man, and citizens passed them by without so much as a glance. Rose was easily the least happy of the outfit, but she controlled her displeasure amazingly. She didn't look outright rude, but her usual warmth was noticeably dimmer. "Oh. H-hello, Gaston."

Hercules made a mental note of all of this. Gaston: big bad wolf.

Gaston physically resembled Hercules in a few ways. While Herc's farmer shirt did an okay job of hiding his excessive bulk, Gaston's skin-tight, yellow polo shirt that was unfastened and with an overzealous amount of chest exposed was anything but subtle. The collar ends were also absurd, being much longer than necessary. His belt was black and sleek, his red pants were much nicer than Herc's, and the last superfluous detail about his wardrobe was his pair of Ray Ban sunglasses, which he tilted down to woo his target. Gaston wiggled his eyebrows at her, removed his sunglasses and slipped it to the bottom of his shirt's placket, which one of the temples caught so the glasses remained in place. Aside from clothes, the man was admittedly very handsome, sexy even. The cleft in his large chin, those noticeable biceps, and the silky black hair tied into a snazzy ponytail (if they ever were considered snazzy; Hercules didn't know much about what women liked). Physically speaking, he was a pure paragon of manliness.

"Where're you headed?" His overbearing confidence bit fiercely into every word like a beast.

"I, I.. um…" She adjusted her glasses as she stammered.

"Uh, we were going to the parking structure," Hercules politely answered.

"Funny thing, I don't remember asking you anything," Gaston replied with verbal and visible disdain.

_Gaston, how would you like to meet my fist_? Hercules thought angrily, though what actually came out of his mouth was, "Heh-uh, I, uh… I didn't mean anything—"

Gaston wrapped an arm around Rose and pulled her closer to him. "Rose, it's time you stop talking to dirt farmers and focus on someone who actually matters. Like _me_!" He even started to pull her into a walk. "What d'you say we go to the cinema? We can watch any movie you'd like. Since you're a woman I'll even handle a chick flick, just for you."

Hercules was very angered by Gaston at this point. He took the first step and was about to pull him away, but Rose forced herself out of Gaston's grasp on her own, which was honestly very easy for her (though it did surprise Gaston). She looked uncharacteristically annoyed. "Gaston, that was _very _rude of you. Apologize to him."

Gaston looked genuinely confused and innocent, though it could very well have been an act. "You mean he has… feelings?" He cocked his head at the man as if to study him.

Briar Rose's tone sounded like a mother scolding a bully. "This is why I… I-I _don't like_ talking to you. You're rude and obnoxious to everybody, you're insensitive, you think you're better than anyone, and…" Briar Rose's cheeks turned red in self-consciousness. "And… I think you… Gaston, I know you only _think_ you're in love with me because of how I look."

Gaston was surprisingly nonchalant by what he perceived as nonsense, but her last comment made him raise an index finger in defense. "_H_-_hey_! I'm _not_ shallow! I'm in love with a woman who wears glasses! Her vision isn't perfect, and I _love_ that about her!"

Briar Rose shook her head. "Gaston, the answer is no. Please leave me alone."

The paragon took her hand and started to pull. "If you'd just come with me to a coffeehouse, I could—"

This time Hercules grabbed him with such force that Gaston released his grip of her. "She said _no_."

The look in Gaston's eyes was very dangerous. "Listen, hick, you're walkin' into a world of pain." He looked down to the hands that still gripped his shirt without fear. "Which finger should I break first?" But the more Gaston examined those hands, the more he realized how big and strong they were. "Wait, how many eggs do _you_ eat every morning?"

Hercules's eyes softened as he removed his hands. He knew he couldn't start the fight. Being a superhero meant that he must never look for trouble, and while Gaston was an ass, this was still not a reason to fight. Besides, his costume was still being worked on, and he couldn't spoil his identity! "Just leave her alone. Uh, please. Bro." He gently took Rose's hand and led her away.

"Don't tell me _you two _are going out!" Gaston called after them. "Rose! If you kiss him you need to disinfect your lips! He's _dirty_!" He glared daggers at a passing man who eyed him oddly. "What're _you_ looking at, old man?" He scowled and stormed to a bus stop's bench, where a short, pudgy man in a black Powerline T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers was eating ice cream. Gaston muttered as he sat by his friend. "I_ will_ go out with her someday, L.F. I swear it."

The short man chuckled. His teeth were beyond unsightly. "You can't take no for an answer, huh?"

Gaston grabbed the back of L.F.'s head and slammed his face against the ice cream. He slumped in his seat, his chin resting on a palm.

"Touch-_y_!" L.F. quipped. Ice cream dripped down his face.

"That was awesome!" Hercules said to Briar Rose, having since released his hold of her. He grinned proudly at her.

"I… um…" Briar Rose's cheeks were still red. "I've never said that to him, but…"

"It was a long time coming, I bet," Herc said. "You were great! And… man, he's _such_ a jerk! You saw how he looked at me? It's like he had skulls in his eyes." He rubbed the back of his neck, thanking his lucky star that he didn't have to fight. "How d'you know that creep, anyway?"

"I really… _hate _to dislike others, but… he always treats me like a doll. It's frustrating." She sighed. "One day I was holding a bag of groceries and dropped it by accident. He helped me, and he seemed kind enough at the time, so I thanked him. I didn't expect anything so strange coming from that, but that's when he started to… _obsess_. But it's over… for today. Thank you for helping me, Hercules. It was easier to handle with you."

"Ahhhh, it was nothin'," he said with a sheepish grin, red cheeks, and knees like jelly.

The rest of the walk to the parking garage was laden with pointless talk like clouds, temperature, and horses. Hercules had forgotten that some ladies loved ponies, and his family owned a gorgeous horse named Pegasus (or Peggy). The Greek heritage was proudly embraced in their household… but apparently not enough to name the son Heracles instead of Hercules.

"I love horses," Briar Rose said, almost like a child. "I used to ride them all the time back home, before… before I came here." Her smile faded. She almost slipped too much information to him.

"Well, our farm has a horse named Pegasus. She's beautiful. Maybe I could… take you someday?" They neared the parking garage.

Rose looked to him with a pleased smile. "Y-yes! I'd love to meet her. Maybe someday I'll visit. I mean, I'd love to." She blushed a little but didn't look away from him. "Hehe. I… I'm sorry, but I can't help noticing it." Both stopped walking.

Hercules felt very awkward... well, more awkward than usual. "W-what?"

Briar Rose appeared to stare intensely at him, but then her eyes opened fully and she gently hit her temple with her right hand. "_Oh_! I'm sorry! I was… I-I was trying to _think_ my answer to you, like—… haha!" She blushed deeper and covered her face with her hands, shaking her head. "I'm sorry. How stupid of me."

Hercules didn't think she was dumb trying to telepathically speak to him; that option was very commonly practiced whenever they were near Alice. In fact, he even made the same mistake once or twice earlier. "Nah, it's okay. You're not stupid!" His right hand clasped her left shoulder. "I've only known you for a day and night, but you're smart!" His face couldn't have been sweeter. "What were you thinking about?"

She looked up to him, her eyes soft and vulnerable. She stared at him for a few seconds before grinning. "… I was just thinking that I'm no longer, hehe, the tallest person in our… group."

Hercules immediately got it. He had to tilt his head down to look at Bongo, slightly less at the ducks and Alice, and only a little for Rose. But the point was he was tall, standing at about 6'4". "I'm sorry I, uh, took your record."

Briar Rose giggled and shook her head. "Oh, no. I'm not disappointed. I'd be silly to be disappointed. It's just funny, and… well…" She finally noticed that his hand remained on her shoulder.

Hercules retracted his hand. He cleared his throat, despite his voice being fine, and pointed. "There's the parking garage! Guess I'll go home to tell… yeah. You all know. You were at breakfast."

Briar Rose smiled warmly. "Hercules, I'm happy you're with us."

He flashed a light grin. "Me, too. I finally feel good about something."

"I… suppose I'll be on my way. But I'll see you later today, certainly." She bowed her head regally. "Goodbye for now, Hercules."

"Call me Herc," he said. _Please_, he thought.

She tilted her head. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah! I mean, uh, Hercules is a mouthful, so Herc's easier. And it's more personal." He scrambled to think of more to say. _Pretty please_.

Rose nodded. "All right. I will, Herc. Goodbye." She turned and started to walk away, but she stopped when she heard his voice.

"Maybe we can play Risk sometime."

She looked over her shoulder. "Hm?"

"Risk. It's a board game. I… I saw your face when we talked about it this morning, over breakfast. You looked confused, like you never…" He basically admitted he was staring at her face. He felt totally lame; Woody Allen would have looked more like a stud compared to him. "I was… just wondering if… I could teach you. Sometime. Someday. No rush."

The young woman smiled awkwardly yet sweetly. "A-all right. I'd like to learn, thank you. Be careful driving..." She said 'driving' like it was a word not too familiar to her, beyond simply not having a license.

Hercules watched her until she disappeared around the corner of a building. He scratched the back of his head and sighed. "Man… she's… something else."

Briar Rose wore a smile the rest of her way back to the Overlook. She knew their friendship would be special.

* * *

Hercules was very excited to enter his farmhouse. In fact, he was _so_ excited that he, for the first time in a few months, ripped the door off the hinges as he opened it. "Ma! Pa! _Oh_, oops! S-sorry!"

Hercules's Pa, a Greek named Amphitryon, was old. He looked both wise and put-upon. He was frail and lanky, and his tanned skin, far-back hairline, horseshoe beard, and bushy eyebrows (all of his hair was snow white) presented him as the classic farmer. He looked like he grew on the farmer tree, fell off said tree, and harvested every branch on the way down. His old, leathery voice had a thick Greek accent, but he spoke fluent English and articulated very well.

"Hercules?" Amphitryon asked. He got up from his rocking chair and, appearing very rehearsed, took the door from his son and set it against the wall, where it would remain until it was time to be repaired… again.

Hercules's Ma, Alcmene, also Greek (of course), looked the opposite of her husband. Instead of thin and frail, she looked like a classic mother, or grandmother for that matter. She was fat but just shy of being obese. Nonetheless, she looked happy and radiant. Her hair was also white and pulled back by a very cute bandana tied around the top of her head. Her husband was in denim jeans, boots, and a white shirt, but she was in a casual dress of floral design, and simple house shoes.

"There you are!" she said, her voice warm and tender. Hercules always thought his mother had the best maternal smile ever. Of course, he never really had much to compare with.

"Sorry, Pa! But, hey! Hi!"

"We knew you'd come back today, but you didn't answer your phone when we called this morning." Amphitryon gripped his son's shoulder, though he had to reach a bit because of his size. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah! I am!" _And I have to lie about it!_ Hercules looked away to clear his throat and muster up his best performance ever. He looked at the papers he gripped with his left hand for a moment before holding it up. "I… I got a job."

Both parents looked at each other like they were pranked. "Dear," Alcmene said, "is it true?"

"Y-yeah. Heh. I finally controlled my strength—uh, _mustered_ the strength to… uh… do the interview. Thing." Hercules allowed his Pa to take the papers. Ma got up from her own chair to read them, too.

"You've been hired by _Scrooge McDuck_?!" The father took off his hat and scratched his bald spot in shock as his wife took the papers.

"The richest person in Calisota…" Alcmene hugged her son tightly. "Oh, Hercules! I'm so proud of you!" When Hercules told E that his family was too afraid to hug him, he didn't refer to his loving parents. They were real troopers.

Hercules returned the hug, feeling both ashamed for lying and proud as hell. "Thank you, Ma. I… yeah."

The father got over his shock, chuckled and shrugged. "This is a surprise, but I'm very proud of you, too. You're going to see what the world is like! But I'm most proud of you for conquering your fear."

Hercules was always afraid of prolonged exposure to the world. What if he couldn't control his strength? "Well, I had the best parents to help me," he said.

His mother nudged him and laughed throatily. "Oh, you!"

"I'm sorry I won't be around to help with the farming as much," Hercules said.

"Oh, don't worry." Alcmene eyed her husband with a grin. "We can always hire a farmhand."

Amphitryon scoffed. "I don't need any help!"

Hercules laughed. "That's my Pa!"

"So, you'll still live here and drive to work?" the father asked.

"Yeah, mostly, but, look," she said, pointing to the second piece of paper. "It says if the work shift goes on too late, McDuck will provide free lodging. The hours are unpredictable at times."

"All of this for a… desk job?" Thankfully, the father wasn't dangerously suspicious because of his humble upbringing. "Huh. So, you really landed yourself a good one, eh?"

"Yeah. I controlled my strength, they reviewed me, and…" Hercules scratched his head. "I'll only stay there if I think it's for the best. Otherwise I'll come here. Maybe late. We'll see."

"What's McDuck like?" the father asked.

_Now I have to really lie. Nice_. Hercules hid his discomfort as best as he could. "Oh, uh, I didn't… I-I didn't really know what to expect. He had the, uh…" He thought of the Masked Mallard instead of Scrooge, whom he was sure he never met before. "The top hat and cane, and he might look intimidating, but when you talk to him, you know, he's not so bad." That's when it hit him. He had no idea how he was gonna explain the lack of paychecks coming in. He made a note to ask the Masked Mallard about that the next time he saw him.

"That's surprising," the mother said. She smiled playfully. "I hear he's a greedy miser."

"Greedy or not, he hired our son. That's what matters." The father smiled. "When do you start?"

Hercules cleared his throat. "Actually, this is crazy, but… tonight! Heh. In about three hours."

The parents looked at each other. "H-Hercules!" the mother said. "This is… incredible!" She again hugged him and kissed him on the cheek, having to stand on her toes to reach his face. "I love you so, so much."

"And me," the father added.

Hercules felt so genuinely happy. It almost felt weird. "I love you, Ma, Pa. You always believed in me. Even though… yeah…"

Their hug tightened.

* * *

Hercules showered, changed clothes, and left the farmhouse with a briefcase in one hand and a sugar cube in the other. On his way to the car, he stopped by the horse pen and called his favorite equine. She was a beautiful white horse with a flowing, elegant mane. Her tail was just as resplendent. "Pegasus!" he called. "Here, girl." The horse trotted to him and happily ate the sugar out of his hand. With the briefcase set on the ground, he stroked her affectionately as she ate. "I… won't see you as much for a while, Peggy," he said. "But I'll come back most nights, and I'll ride you on my days off. Okay?" He stroked her one more time and started to leave. "Take care of Ma and Pa, y'hear? Love you!"

He squeezed into the car and proudly drove away.

A few minutes later, he drove back, got out, picked up the briefcase he forgot, and _then _proudly drove away.

* * *

Alice loitered near Edna's gate. On her phone, she sifted through pictures of her cat from back home in England, Dinah. She frowned. "Oh, Dinah. I miss you so much." She sighed. "The sacrifices we all have to make…" She looked up to the sky. "Grandmother… I—" She gasped as she heard Hercules stop in front of her.

"Hey!" he said through the opened window.

"Hello again," Alice replied, immediately hiding the feeling she just had. She pocketed her phone and walked up to him.

"Need a lift?"

"I suppose I've had enough exercise for today. Thank you." She walked around and took the front passenger's seat. She fastened the seatbelt despite the short distance he would drive. She also found it cute how Hercules was absolutely _stuffed_ in the car, though he probably felt the opposite of cute.

Getting inside was much easier because the bodyguard in the live feed recognized them.

* * *

Hercules and Alice walked down the long, narrow corridor for the third time.

"So, how was homework?" Herc asked casually.

"Oh, very simple. Geometry."

"Simple?" Hercules said. "That's my weakness. I hate math."

"It really _is_ subjective. Some people, like me, have no trouble at all, but others suffer terribly."

"I fit with the latter. Give me a division symbol and I panic."

Alice looked up to him with a grin. "Well, then, be careful! If a crook was to hold up a geometry textbook and open it in your face…"

Hercules grabbed his chest and pretended to wince in pain. "_No_! _Must… get back… to… P.E._!" They both laughed. "What about English?"

Alice looked at him like, _Really? _Considering she had an ironclad chokehold on the English dictionary, she could only nod humbly. "Oh, I love English. I _am _from England, remember."

"Science?"

"Mm-hm."

"P.E.?"

"I never really cared for it, but I never cheated. I trust you didn't, either." She grinned.

"Of course I didn't!" Hercules pretended to be resentful. "I never cheat… except with running. Hey, my stamina's natural, right? But I was great at P.E., and I was okay with science. But math… ugh. And my school's coach begged me to play for the football team every day, but… nah. Not really my thing."

Alice smiled playfully. "You Americans and your incorrect idea of football."

Hercules nudged her playfully. "What, _soccer_? Why're you so upset about a name change?"

"What _you _call soccer is _real _football. You kick it around with your foot. That's _football_! America's football… you only kick it once, catch it, and carry it. It should be called _handball_! Or carryball."

"Yeah, well… at least we don't have to spell color like _colour_ with a U!"

"You can't deny it looks better with a U." She smirked.

"… Yeah, okay. It does." Alice giggled, which made him laugh. As they approached their destination he asked her one last question. "Hey… was there _any _course you flunked? Any class you just totally bombed?"

Bitterness crossed her face. "Choir."

The two stepped down into the same large room they were in, only this time dimmer and more orange because the sun was lower. Hercules looked once again at the gold statue in front of the huge wall made up entirely by glass. The statue reminded him of a proud warrior, especially since the statue had a stylized pole (spear), and water flowed from the statue in a way to resemble a shield.

E, who elegantly smoked a cigarette with an absurdly long, black cigarette holder, sat at one of the chairs until she heard them approach from the hallway. She jumped off and scurried to the two heroes as they entered the room. She wasted zero time. "Dahlings, follow me." She led the two to a semi-hidden stairway that circled and ended with yet another long hallway.

_**Is there some cheese at the end of this maze?**_ Hercules thought.

_**My favorite is Cheshire,**_ Alice replied.

_**Oh, no!**_ Hercules mentally cried._** Tell me E didn't hear that!**_

_**No,**_ Alice answered, _**I haven't linked her mind to ours.**_

The hallway was darker, but had bright lights from the ceilings of hallowed portions along the walls. In each hallowed portion stood mannequin torsos clad in beautifully detailed costumes. From the Rocketeer to Condorman, heroes of the past, and even heroes who were not treated by E's magical touch.

"Hercules, your body is a masterpiece," E said liberally.

"Th-thanks," Hecules said. He felt more awkward by the comment than flattered. He wondered if she was secretly hitting on him.

"And it turned out so…" E's eyes were just as wide as her smile. She again milked some invisible cow with her wild gestures. "_Beautiful_! I can't wait for you to try it on!" She grinned almost sinisterly to him. "You will _die_. My _God_."

Alice giggled. "I think we're in for something special, Hercules."

"Apparently," Hercules replied. "Heh."

E spun elegantly and twirled her cigarette holder like a baton, the motion so rapid that Hercules and Alice could hear a distinctive whoosh. She used the end of her cigarette holder to punch in at least seven numbers on a keypad. Then she placed her left hand on the nearby touch pad. But she wasn't done; she lowered her glasses for a scanner to confirm her eyes for identification.

Hercules stared in awe._** How many—**_

Alice interrupted him. _**Hercules, there is going to be a rather large gun that will drop from the ceiling and aim at us. Don't be alarmed.**_

Hercules jumped and actually shouted to her. "_What_?!"

E knew what his spontaneous reaction meant: Alice mentally warned him about the gun. "Oh, yes. Thank you for reminding me." She chortled maniacally but silenced herself when a microphone extended to her mouth. "EdnaModeandguests!" Indeed, a ceiling panel slid open and a machine gun lowered, but her rapid speech immediately sent the gun up again before it could aim. The panel closed. "I assume Alice told you with that mind of hers." She made a 'puppet' gesture with her hand and flapped her fingers to make it 'talk.' "Gobblegobblegobblegobble! It's creepy at first, but you'll get used to it."

Alice rolled her eyes. "People can accept me levitating, entering dreams, but telepathy is _so _terrifying. Hmpf."

The door opened in layers. E led the two inside her workroom, which was a dimly lit, air-conditioned, oddly intimidating chamber. The room was mostly black, but various apparatuses of all kinds had blue LED lights. The ceaseless droning of computers and machines, none of which were deafening, were all that could be heard aside from the humans' conversation.

Hercules circled as he followed the girl and woman. "Whoa…" He thought the room looked more fitting for a supervillain than a hero, but he kept his opinion to himself. Still, the machine with the obviously sharp and large needles gave him the willies. What could that machine possibly be used for?

The three approached a small platform with two chairs welded to it. The seats faced them, and behind the chairs was something that looked like a long diorama, except it was empty, save for doors on each end. This 'empty diorama' stretched from one end of the room to the other.

"I only have two chairs," E said as she sat on the right one. Her tone was obvious.

"Oh, that's all right," Alice said. "I'll stand."

"Nah, that's okay." Hercules offered a sweet smile and kindly gestured to the chair. "Ladies first."

Alice smiled. "I appreciate your kindness, Hercules, but I already have my costume. Please, help yourself."

"Oh. Right. Okay." He sat down on the left chair.

E held up a saucer and tea cup for the girl. "Earl Grey with sugar and no cream," she said. "Your preference."

"Thank you, Edna!" Alice said. She happily took the saucer and cup by telekinesis and brought said cup to her awaiting lips, having backed away for her safety.

"And for you, Hercules?"

"Uh… surprise me!" He grinned.

"Rodenticide and arsenic," E replied without dropping a beat. It wasn't until after a pause that she raised a brow to him.

He looked mortified. "What?"

"You _said_ to surprise you!" She handed him a saucer and tea.

"Then—_whoa_!" The chairs pivoted to face the diorama. He nearly spilled the tea and dropped the china, so he made sure to gulp all the tea and swallow it before the chairs could move again.

"Hold your breath, dahling." E pressed a button on the table between the chairs (also welded to the platform), and the left door inside the diorama opened. A pole entered by rolling on a track on the floor within the diorama. Attached the pole was a full sized mannequin, and the sight of it amazed Hercules.

"Is that—"

"Sh, dahling!" E shushed him. "Sh! Not while I'm working."

The suit was precisely what E implied, simple yet bold. The mannequin slowly moved along like a sluggish train, and the platform that carried the two seated moved along with the mannequin perfectly.

"Your suit is form-hugging but comfortable," E stated with perfect confidence. "The fabric breathes like Egyptian cotton, and will not tear no matter how much you flex, bend, or contort. You can finally stop worrying about ripping your clothes. It will take the destructive force of the Cyclops to completely tear _this beauty_ to shreds." She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes smugly. "Completely bullet proof." Four machine guns extended into view and rapidly shot directly at the mannequin. Bullets didn't so much as scratch it, much to Hercules's surprise.

"_Wow_! But… what if they shoot me in the face?"

"God help you. And, dahling, your suit is machine washable. You have _no _idea how long it took me to find a way to have that. Fah! And when you wear your costume, unknowing people will have trouble recognizing you. All of my costumes come equipped with… well, let's just say it's a trade secret." She leered almost creepily. "Unless you tell anyone or they find out for sure, they'll have trouble identifying you."

Before Hercules could speak his mind, the platform launched all the way back to the left, stopping at where it had started. The man sloshed in his chair and caught the tea cup and saucer as it was accidentally tossed in the air upon the rough stop. "Jeez!"

Edna, still seated, tilted her head as her lips pulled into a long, expected smile. "Weeeeellll, dahling? What do you think?"

"I… I think it's _great_!" he exclaimed. "It really is, but… uh… you're sure it'll fit me? I mean, I never gave you my measurements—"

"Of course! I have an eye for that sort of thing! Now." She leaned forward to him, her face full of passion. "Try." She pressed her nose to his. "It." She even pushed him a little. "_On_."

Hercules, having reached a brand new level of awkwardness, could only muster one word. "Okay."

The little girl, looking quite sophisticated by how she drank tea, smiled calmly to him and nodded gently. "Go ahead."

* * *

Alice and E stood together in front of the red curtain, which was easily the humblest item the room had to offer. E impatiently tapped her right foot and inhaled her cigarette through its holder, while Alice kept smiling and idly twiddled her thumbs.

"It's easier to get into than I thought," he said from behind the curtain. "Almost done!"

"Take your time," Alice replied.

"Hurry up!" E bombastically followed. "I'm anxious! You tease me. My God, you're _wicked_!"

The curtain parted, and the Dream League's newest member revealed himself.

E grinned victoriously. "_Yes_. _Such triumph_."

Alice's mouth hung open. Her eyes were utterly fascinated. She looked like she was seeing a total stranger, someone new. She was both awed and even a little intimidated. "_Goodness_," she almost whispered. "Hercules, you…"

He heard the whirring of some machines above him. He looked up to find a vertical mirror lowered to him. He was wondering why the changing room didn't have any mirrors, but that was the least of his interest at that point. He felt silent when he stared into the mirror.

His costume was simple yet iconic: a blue, skin-tight suit without gloves, but with the boots and pelvic area a darker shade of blue. His hair was wavier and more stylish, which was a decision he made while changing (the changing room had a brush). Lastly, his gold belt was simple. His buckle's emblem was what he drew for E earlier in the day: the outline of a storm cloud and a lightning strike. It was a visual he associated with himself ever since he was a toddler, for reasons unknown even to him.

"You look… _wonder_ful, Hercules," Alice said. "Hehe. I'm impressed." She felt a little embarrassed looking at a man whose muscular, _much _defined pectorals and abdominal muscles were so prominent. He looked absolutely… pure.

"But look at you, young grasshopper." E approached the newborn super and gripped his arm and tugged him to look into the mirror again. "You… are the son of a god! Hercules, Earth's defender! You have taken another step to _glory_."

Hercules stared into himself. He was thankful that his costume hid his goosebumps entirely. He had never felt more… comfortable. His bulging muscles weren't hideous in this costume. They were nothing to be ashamed of. He felt like somebody who could make a difference.

"By the way, dahling," E said curiously. She returned to Alice. "What, exactly, _is _your alias…?"

There was a long pause.

"Wonderboy," Wonderboy replied. "I'm… Wonderboy. Zero to Hero! I'm finally on my way to discover myself."

E smiled in pride and satisfaction. "Wonderboy. What a… sweet juxtaposition between name and body." But she leaned to Alice and muttered, "I'll mail the invoice to the Overlook, as always."

"Of course," Alice said with a smile and wink. She then took her large purse with her and entered the changing room. "If you don't mind, I'd like to… well. If you'll excuse me." In less than a minute, out stepped a purse-free Dreamchild, white eyes and all. She stood beside Wonderboy and talked to him by staring at the mirror. "Don't get the wrong idea, Wonderboy. I am _nobody's_ sidekick. But… as far as _partnerships_ go… I think we could get along together."

Wonderboy smiled warmly. He turned to her and held up his hand. "Thanks, DC. For everything."

Dreamchild beamed. She took his hand and shook it. Then she looked back to the mirror. "Pity this isn't a photo booth, to commemorate this moment. But there will be pictures taken of us soon enough. Still…" The ends of Dreamchild's hair gently billowed as she pressed her right index and middle fingers to the side of her forehead. She levitated off the floor. "Prepare yourself, Wonderboy! You fell down a rabbit hole, now you're going to see what's in store!"

Wonderboy followed with his own pose. He flexed his right arm as much as he could and it was true; his costume did not tear at all. He grinned confidently at the mirror. "I can, and I _will_, go the distance!"

"And it wouldn't have been possible without _me_!" E exclaimed as she forced herself into the super corny (albeit fun) 'picture moment' in front of the mirror.

"Zero to Hero," Wonderboy said.

"And the Dream Come True," Dreamchild finished.

* * *

As fate would have it, Wonderboy and Dreamchild would have their first mission together a lot sooner than expected… that same night, in fact!

After night fell, a menace proceeded to wreak havoc in downtown Epcot City.

A policewoman, a very attractive blonde, slammed against a wall in the room of some building. Smoke emitted from her clothes as he coughed harshly. She trembled from the shock and, having collapsed to the floor, could only look up to the villain in anger and fright.

"That'll teach you to call me Sparky!" the rat threatened.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

-Based on characters created by The Walt Disney Company and Pixar Animation Studios.

-The Dream League concept was created by Joseph Label and Andrew "Heffy" Wamboldt.

-Special thanks to Emma Brown for acting as Wonderboy's consultant.

-"Wonderboy" created by Emma.

-"Dreamchild" and "Sunshine" created by Joseph.

-While the basis of "The Masked Mallard" was created by Disney, Nicole H. (One Lucky Unicorn) expanded the character vastly for the Dream League. The same applies for "Bongo's" expansion by Heffy.


	4. Issue 3 - Zero to Hero Part III

_ULTIMATE DREAM LEAGUE_

_ISSUE #3_

**_"ZERO TO HERO PART III"_**

Written by Joseph Label

Full credits at the end of the issue.

The night sky blanketed Epcot City. Both Hercules and Alice lost track of time in Edna's place, but they didn't mind. After all, it was Saturday. Back in their civilian clothes, Hercules and Alice left E's fashionable lair and returned to the man's car. It wasn't until Herc passed the gates did he remember something important.

"Uh… how're we gonna get back to the Overlook?" he asked.

"We'll just call Duckworth and transfer vehicles," she replied. "You'll have to park your car somewhere, though." She delicately pressed her index finger's tip to the bottom of her mouth as she thought. "Hmm. I suppose the Seclusion, where we reached the Epcot shore, is as good as any. Do you suppose you could hide your car there?"

"Sounds like a plan!" Herc grinned. "I wanna go back to the Overlook and show them the costume."

"I think you were right, Hercules." She held up the purse to examine it. It really did bulge more than earlier because of his costume having been stuffed in with hers. "I… probably shouldn't be carrying a purse to hide my costume, no. I see your point. Maybe I should… use a backpack! Of course! A child with a backpack is hardly suspicious."

"So, even brainiacs need to experiment?" he teased.

"Of course," she admitted in embarrassment. She smiled in amusement after a pause. "As a matter of fact… The Brainiac was the name some constables called me years ago, before I revealed my name as Dreamchild. Back home in England, of course."

Hercules, still driving, looked to her for another second. "Really? I'm sorry I never heard about you. Guess I should'a watched the news. But we don't have cable. But I guess online—"

"You should have watched the BBC," Alice replied. "The BBC tells _real _news, as opposed to, say, what Kim Gandershian did last night." She smirked.

Herc chuckled. "Yeah! I'd say you guys are real news, though. You're all heroes."

"And you're part of the 'heroes' now, Hercules."

A pleasant silence followed.

"Hey, Alice?"

"Yes?"

"I have a question." He paused. "I was wonderin'… where did Dreamchild come from? Where did you get that name?"

Alice's smile faded away, though she wasn't offended at all. She looked to her hands which rested on her lap. "It was Grandmother's nickname for me… when I was very young."

Hercules smiled tenderly. "Aww! That's really sweet! Does she know about Dreamchild now?" He immediately regretted asking the question; the pause was anything but happy.

"She died," the girl answered. "I was about to tell her, but she…" She looked away. "Died."

"Alice, I'm so sorry. I didn't know." He felt like a cruel monster for asking.

"It's all right, Hercules." She exhaled quietly through her nose. "But, yes. Grandmother used to call me her 'little dreamchild.' I remember being four-years-old and I showed her my ability to move a pen without touching it, about a quarter inch. This was before I ate that mushroom. While I always had telekinetic powers, they were very weak and faint when I was so young—the mushroom, or whatever fell onto it and radiated it, amplified my powers. I never showed any of my family the power I was born with, never… _except _her. I confided in her, and I pleaded her to never tell anyone else. I begged her to keep it just between us. She told me I was special, a gift from God. But then Grandmother had _me_ promise that I would do my best to improve the world. She considered me blessed, and she wanted me to help others. _Not_ by vigilantism, in case you were wondering! But… she always said I was capable of great things. She loved me so dearly… she always trusted and believed in me. And then, one night, years later, when I ate the mushroom and became a vigilante … when I decided to tell her that I was… that I _am_ Dreamchild… I came home one night, and… " She swallowed. Her voice cracked a little. "I think she knew I was Dreamchild, from what was on the telly and the _Times_. But she never said anything. She never brought it up to my parents, so I can't be certain. And when I decided to tell her that night, I realized she was dying. She never woke up after collapsing to the floor."

Hercules felt a lump in his throat. "I'm so sorry you never got to say goodbye to her, Alice."

Alice shook her head. "Actually, I did. When she was moved to the hospital and never woke up, and it was very obvious she would die, I was left alone with her, and I…"

Hercules stopped at an intersection as the light turned yellow. He took this chance to look her in the eyes. "… You entered her dream."

"Yes… and that's where I said goodbye." A tear rolled down her right cheek.

He was glad they stopped at the intersection. He placed his nearest hand on her shoulder, treating her with an even greater sense of admiration and respect than ever before. "Alice, you're a great person, and I _know _your grandma is proud of you, from wherever she's watching you. And I… uh… I think Dreamchild is an _awesome_ name. The fact that you named yourself that just shows how much you loved and cared about her."

"Thank you, Hercules. I know she's proud, too. She might object to me risking my life on a near-daily basis, but the point of it all… I know she's proud." Alice smiled warmly. She wiped tears from her eyes and cheeks and sniffed. "And to effectively kill this mood…" She pointed ahead. "I think that traffic light will show green while you're not loo—yes, there it is."

Hercules spun and gripped the wheel. He resumed driving as he chuckled meekly. "Uh, heh. Good call."

In time, Hercules parked the car by an unpopulated beach, the same place Alice suggested, as well as the general location Duckworth reached the mainland earlier in the day with the boat-car hybrid. The beach Hercules parked at did not have sand, and instead had flat rocks with remarkably smooth surfaces, which formed a ramp leading from the water up to the land, no doubt easier for a car to drive on.

"You gonna call Duckworth?" Hercules asked.

"In a minute," Alice replied, no longer sad. "I'd like to talk some more." She smiled. "You're interesting." She propped herself onto the hood of Hercules's car and sat Indian style.

Hercules picked up a flat, oval stone as he grinned. "Thanks! But not as interesting as you."

Alice smiled in embarrassment. "Oh, for goodness sake." She watched him remove his shoes, socks, and approach the water.

Herc launched the stone on the water, beyond the waves, and it skipped far away until it escaped their vision. "Heh, still got it." He grinned to her.

"Very good," she said, clearly impressed. She even giggled a bit.

He looked ahead once more and sighed. "The sea reminds me of—" He bit his tongue. He decided that revealing her name probably wasn't a smart idea.

"Of what?" Alice asked, curious.

"Uh." He turned to her and scratched the back of his neck. "I have a cousin. I won't say her name, but… she's the only person in my family who also has a… uh… power. She's not strong, but…"

"Does her power concern water?" she asked. "I didn't read your mind; I just assumed it had something to do with water, because of how the sea reminded you of her."

"Yeah. She can hold her breath for about ten minutes, and she's a really great swimmer. She was the swimming champion of the school we went to, before she went to Italy."

"Foreign exchange program?" the girl asked.

"Yeah." He nodded.

"Are you two close?" She smiled hopefully.

"Oh, yeah! I love her." He smiled upon reflecting. "In fact, she and I used to go on 'adventures' together when we were kids. Heh. One time we found a cave near Lake Tahoe and checked it out."

Alice smiled warmly. "That sounds lovely."

"Yeah. I miss her, but she'll come back soon, I guess. And, y'know, we have our phones."

"You mentioned she has aquatic powers. Do you think she would—"

Hercules pointed accusingly to the girl. "No. You may have pulled me into the Dream League, but I won't let you reel _her_ in!" He chuckled in embarrassment when he realized his inadvertent aquatic pun. "I didn't mean it like that! But, please, leave her alone. It's too dangerous for her."

"Hehe." She rested her chin on the back of her hands. "_Is_ her power immense, though?" Alice wasn't relentless, just plain curious.

"No, aside from holding her breath and swimming well. Hey, uh… shouldn't we be thinking this instead of speaking?"

"Oh, don't worry. We're quite alone." She sounded absolutely convinced.

"If you say so…" He returned to the car to lean against the driver's door, which meant he stood beside the seated Alice. Both noticed a falling star in the surprisingly clear, beautiful sky. "Hey, look! You see that?"

"I did," Alice replied. Both of their eyes softened as they gazed to the heavens.

"You know, uh…" Hercules stammered. "Wh-when I was a kid, I-I would've given _anything_ to be normal. I used to wish for that."

"I recall you mentioning that." Alice reached and placed a hand on his shoulder. "But although wishes can bring momentary comfort, we have to initiate our own dreams. After all, dreams can't come true just by wishing."

"Is that why the team is called the Dream League?" Confidence riddled his tone.

"I don't know what Duck Avenger was thinking when he came up with that name, actually. But I suppose it was a dream come true for him, too."

"Wait, the Masked Mallard didn't think it up? I thought he was the leader."

"No, it was Duck Avenger who came up with it. Chief O'Hara asked us who we are after our first mission, and the Avenger was the only one who answered. We accepted the name and became a team."

Hercules grinned playfully. "So… am I your first recruit, or did you toy with anyone else and forced them to join you?"

Alice smirked. "Well, when you put it _that way_ it makes me sound like a manipulative villainess. But… yes, you're my first recruit. Hehe. I did _not _alter your thoughts to persuade you, though. I was insistent and pleaded you, yes, but I never manipulated your actual thinking process."

"Would you have, though? If it ever came to that, if I said no?" he asked without a trace of indignation.

"… Oh, my goodness, you really put me on the spot." She laughed awkwardly. "No, I don't think so. That's not right."

He chuckled and looked ahead once more. "I'm glad I joined, though. Really. I feel… happy."

Alice smiled. She opened her mouth to say something, but her wristwatch vibrated and made three consecutive double-beeps. She pressed specific buttons with her other hand's thumb and index, speaking into the tiny communicator. "DC present," she said.

"DC," the unmistakable voice of Duck Avenger said through the watch, "we got a _big _problem happenin' downtown. Lights are going off everywhere. MM and Bongo are in the Star Wisher. Sunny's on her way, too. They're all listenin' to you right now, so, where're you guys?"

Alice slid off the car's hood and already fetched her purse. "We are at the Seclusion." The Seclusion was the codename. She opened her purse, pulled out all of Wonderboy's costume and tossed it to him. He caught it, picked up his shoes and socks, and ran off to behind an enormous rock along the beach to hide while changing.

"Gotcha." Duck Avenger's tone was surprisingly patient for something 'big' happening. "Yeah, everyone is on their way to pick you guys up. You're all gonna see Chief O'Hara. I'm stayin' to watch you all in the surveillance room."

Duckworth's voice was heard through the watch, responding to the Avenger's last statement. "I believe you can improve your alertness by closing the video game on that computer, Master Avenger."

"Aw, pipe down! Anyway, good luck, everybody! Sorry I won't get to be there for your first big break, Her—"

"Wonderboy!" the now costumed Zero to Hero exclaimed as he ran back to Alice. The watch's volume was at maximum, so he heard it clearly.

"_Haha_!" the Avenger laughed heartily. As he laughed, his deep and raspy voice changed to something more… squeaky. He cleared his throat and resumed his forced voice. "You picked Wonderboy! That's… swell! Y'hear that, Duckworth?"

"Master Wonderboy," Duckworth said, "I am so humbled that my insincere comment has paved the road to your glory. Bravo."

"Thanks," Wonderboy answered meekly.

"Good luck, Wonderboy!" the Avenger cheered. "I may not be there in the feathers, but I'll be there in spirit!"

"When he's not bothered by his game, of course," Duckworth said.

"Don't you have rugs to beat or somethin'?!" The communication ceased.

"Tag team!" Alice joked as she clapped Wonderboy's hand while walking off with her purse. She left to change, too.

"I-I can't believe I'm gonna have my first mission on _my first night_!" he shouted enthusiastically. He threw his hands up in the air to celebrate some more, but a familiar image caught his attention. High in the air was Sunshine, who slowly descended to the ground in front of him with a graceful and elegant landing stance, yet her facial expression became soft the closer she approached him.

"H-hey, Sunny," the man waved gently, despite his powerhouse of a build. "I'm… Wonderboy."

Sunshine's cheeks darkened when she realized she took a noticeably long glance at his pectorals and abdominal muscles, which even under the bright moonlight were clearly defined in the costume. She grinned and looked away, but only for a moment. She shyly looked to his face, her black pupils larger than normal in the darker environment. "You really… chose Wonderboy?" Her hair billowed gently in the cool breeze.

He was glad at least _someone else_ was prone to social awkwardness. He grinned and nodded. "Yeah. I liked it, thanks to you." He held out his right hand.

She examined the hand for a second before giggling and, with such immense force that truly surprised him, gripped his hand and shook it. "We're going to do our best, as always!"

"Indeed," Dreamchild said as she casually dropped the purse inside Herc's car. Wonderboy locked the doors and slipped the key ring into one of his belt's pockets.

"I'd like to move my car just a little bit more that way, to be more hidden." He pointed to a cluster of trees. "Sunshine, could you please give me a hand?"

"Of course." Sunshine gripped the bottom of one side of the car as Wonderboy gripped the other. "One, two, three." Both of them lifted the car with barely a minor grunt. They carried the vehicle to where Wonderboy desired, and it was definitely more hidden than before because of it.

"Is it really safe to leave it here?" Wonderboy asked as soon as they set the car down.

"The Seclusion is out of Epcot City limits," Dreamchild answered, who was still amused by watching two people lift a car like it was nothing. "And as you can see, it's barren. You had to be told where to go, or at least brought here, in order to find this place. That's how you found out, remember?"

"Fine." He leered over his shoulder to Sunshine. "Good thing Sunny doesn't have to worry about driving."

Sunshine raised an eyebrow, smiled gently and tilted her head. "I guess I'm old-fashioned. But at least horses have personality!"

Suddenly, a spotlight was cast down upon them. The Star Wisher landed nearby, but none of the two onboard came out. Time was urgent, after all.

"I'll meet you all at the police station," Sunshine said. Without giving anyone a chance to object, she took off and flew away at amazing speed.

Dreamchild and Wonderboy entered the Star Wisher, where they were greeted by two other Dreamers. Bongo gripped the tips of his padded feet and rocked in his seat excitedly. He was initially surprised to see the newcomer's costume, but soon grinned and lifted up his hat in greeting. The Masked Mallard, who piloted the aircraft that night (after months of extensive training he proved adequate but not as skilled as Duck Avenger), was also shocked to see the man's costume.

"Ah, Wonderboy!" the Mallard said happily. "I heard you over the communicator. You'll have to pay royalties to Duckworth, then." The Mallard's aged voice chuckled. "All aboard!" He cringed when he heard a rip.

"Sorry," Wonderboy said, ashamed. "Pulled the seatbelt too much. Again."

"It can be replaced," the Mallard said. His tone was much colder than Duck Avenger's from the night before.

Bongo reached into his jacket's pocket and retrieved a folded piece of paper. He waved to get Dreamchild's attention. She telekinetically took it from him and brought it to her hands. She unfolded it and saw a heart: one crudely drawn symbol with priceless meaning behind it.

She smiled to him with a warm, even maternal level of affection. "That's so sweet, Bongo. Thank you." She blew a kiss to him.

He twisted his arms daintily and shyly looked away.

Wonderboy was amused by their platonic affection, though at that point he really wanted to know what was up between them. Bongo clearly loved Dreamchild more than anyone else. Why?

* * *

After the Star Wisher landed on the enormous police station's roof, all the Dreamers hurried down the ramp to greet the three people gathered by a large spotlight. One of them was Sunshine, who obviously arrived first. The other was an average height yet obese dog in a decorated, dark blue uniform, with gold buttons and badges . He was a brown dog with a black nose and white sideburns. The sideburns connected to his hair which circled the back of his head, though if he were to take his hat off he would reveal himself being completely bald on top. He was the chief of police, Seamus O'Hara. He was also the most powerful ally of the Dream League, much to the skepticism of some of his inferiors. It really was because of O'Hara that the Dream League had a chance to do their job without being hunted.

The third person was a duck who almost looked like a tourist who was supposed to be in Hawaii. His Hawaiian shirt was red with blue flowers as the repeated design. The topmost button of his shirt was unfastened, exposing some of his feathered chest. Lastly, he wore a solid blue baseball cap without a logo of any kind. The bill of his hat was longer than usual. Physically speaking, he resembled Duck Avenger, but his bill was noticeably more angular and with a rougher tip than the Avenger's. Also, the feathers at the top of his head that overlapped his forehead were much longer and more stylish; in fact, from a distance it almost looked like normal hair. Finally, his eyebrows were more arched than the Avenger's.

Sunshine smiled to Chief O'Hara. "Don't worry, Your Honor. We'll get to the bottom of this."

O'Hara chortled and waved his left hand. "Please, I'm no judge." He heard the other Dreamers rapidly approach. He faced them with a warm welcome. "Thank goodness ye're all here, Dream League. I just finished talkin' to Sunshine 'ere, but we got bad news!"

**Hello, Detective Maui**, Dreamchild thought to the Hawaiian shirt-clad duck.

**Hello, Alice**, Maui replied, clearly knowing who she really was, but she didn't so much as blink an eye. The medium-boiled detective's natural voice sounded like the wisecracking guy you'd love to have a beer with… or at least eat some spicy chicken quesadillas with, one of those two. Both he and Dreamchild returned their focus to O'Hara after their greeting.

"What sort of bad news?" the Masked Mallard asked. His back was straight as he gripped his cane, as if ready to fight within thirty seconds.

"There's a psychopath on the loose," Detective Maui Mallard said to the Masked Mallard. (No relation.) He tipped his baseball cap up with his right index finger. "He calls himself Megavolt, but his real name is Elmo Sputterspark. We dug up his files and it looks like he comes from St. Canard… like Quackerjack." He folded his arms on his chest. "I wish these freaks didn't migrate _here_."

"Why he's here, who can say?" the Chief said. "But he needs t'be stopped! He's been snatching lights from here and there, all over town." That's when he finally noticed the big, blue-suited human. "And who might _ye_ be, laddie?"

"Wonderboy," the man answered. He was surprised by how attentive he was, because for a moment he thought about the name Megavolt. He never heard of the psychopath, but he had heard of an underground band named Megawatt.

**I personally recruited him**, Dreamchild thought to Maui.

**Guess we'll see if you have an eye for talent**, Maui replied, but not condescendingly. The detective finally waved to the little bear that waved nonstop to him since the conversation's beginning. "Hey, I see you, yeah, great. You exist, Bongo." He gave a thumbs-up to make up for his sarcasm.

"Good t'meet ye, Wonderboy," the Irish dog said with a handshake. "And I'd be more pleased if ye helped us put an end to Megavolt's lunacy!"

Maui picked up his walkie-talkie that was attached to his side (where his gun holster usually was) when a voice shouted through it. The voice said, "Miranda Wright is in transport, in an ambulance. Megavolt got her; she cornered him in the security room of a store, but he electroshocked her. Miranda said he had the opportunity to take anything, but he only wanted the light bulbs! Requesting backup! A Sherman tank, maybe?! Darn it! We lost him!"

"Poor Miranda," Maui said. He was obviously angered; he always thought she was a good officer. **Fine. You Dream League handle this. But I still think the police should be the ones—**

Dreamchild cut him off. **Noted. Thank you**. She smiled teasingly at him as he shook his head.

"Where was Megavolt last seen?" Sunshine asked. Maui repeated the question through the walkie-talkie.

"Near Third Street School," the voice answered. "Hurry!"

The Masked Mallard twirled his cane. "Ladies and gentlemen, it's time for the Dream League to take the stand!" They all ran for the Star Wisher, with the exception of Sunshine, who simply flew beside it.

Having watched the Dream League depart, Chief O'Hara shifted his weight to half-turn to where Maui Mallard once stood. "Maui, have—" He rubbed his chin. Maui was nowhere in sight. "Hm. Must've gone back inside."

Wherever Maui was, he knew that he couldn't do vigilante work as a law-abiding cop…

* * *

The villain literally surfed on overhead power lines above the streets, making his way toward a hardware store. Once close enough, the criminal jumped off the lines and onto the street to walk the short distance.

At Santorini's Flower Shop, the establishment next to a restaurant named The Chinese Laundry, a man with a flat topped hairstyle and a large, black mustache was in the process of relocating the display flowers back into the store. He was ready to lock up and call it a night, but he heard a loud noise that could only be described as intense static. The flower shop worker was usually deadpan and calm, but even he looked at the incoming villain with noticeable fear.

"I'd best'a do this later, huh?" the man asked the criminal while holding a flowerpot. His accent was thickly Italian. The rat didn't answer, thankfully. The man dropped the pot, backed into the shop, locked the door and pulled down the large window blind to hide until it was all over. "You'a picked one prime location, Granmama," he muttered.

"My mission continues!" the rat maniacally roared as he stormed into the hardware store, which was open relatively late on Saturday nights. He carried a large sack, and inside rustled what sounded like incandescent light bulbs clustered together. Every customer inside the store either screamed or stumbled when the rat shot lightning bolts through the gloved fingers of his free hand. "You merciless slave-drivers!" the rat screeched. He pointed accusingly to everyone he could see. "You've enslaved light bulbs to do your bidding! Don't you all know how… _hard it is to be a bulb_?! Don't answer! It's a rhetorical question. You don't know how hard it is!"

He raised his free hand, zapped a wooden desk on display and burned it to a deep char. This was enough to send the remaining people running for their lives, screaming all the while. The rat laughed his trademark high-pitched cackle. With the sack in hand, he rushed to the light bulbs at a specific aisle. "Don't worry, my brothers. I'm here to help you all!"

Dreamchild and Wonderboy crept into the store and watched their target from a distance.

The rat rested the sack on the floor to focus on opening the first light bulb's box. "And what do we have here? I've never seen a prison cell for an incandescent bulb look like _this _before." To his surprise, it wasn't an incandescent bulb; it was a compact fluorescent lamp, those lights that aren't bulbs, but appear to have a long (or multiple), continuous tube, and are marketed as safer for the environment. Apparently the rat had never seen one (or had forgotten entirely), because he reacted in horror. "_What_?! What kind of twisted, demented _sadist_ did this to you?! They pulled your entrails and twisted and turned it and—" He frantically rotated the CFL around to examine it, then looked to the other boxes and realized all of them were the same way. "_AAAAHHHHH_!" He grabbed his head (minding the CFL he still held) and screamed his lungs out. "My… my… my _brothers_! You've all suffered the wrath of cruel tormenters long enough. I, _Megavolt_, shall liberate you! You'll be okay." He kissed the CFL he held affectionately. Then he started to put all of the fluorescent lamps into the sack. "I love you just the way you are. I understand. You'll all be safe with me!"

**He's madder than a March hare!** Dreamchild mentally exclaimed.

**Really? I didn't notice**, Wonderboy replied with both sarcasm and evident fear. **Sure hope the Masked Mallard knows what he's doing.**

Outside the shop a crowd started to gather, most of them being the shoppers that ran out for safety. Also outside, beyond the crowd, was the parked Star Wisher.

"Bongo, stop whining!" the Masked Mallard demanded. His tone was like a stern grandfather. "We have to give Wonderboy a chance, and because he's Dreamchild's recruit she needs to be his guide. Sunshine will only intervene if necessary. But we have to sit out of this one. Understand?"

Bongo flopped on a chair and pouted. He wanted to fight the bad guy!

"You already fought the Beagle Boys earlier today!"

Beyond the Star Wisher and far enough to be easily missed by anyone in the crowd, a person lurked in the cold shadows of a rooftop. From the crowd's distance, it was impossible to see who the shadowed figure was, but one could see it carried what resembled a kind of staff.

At ground level, Sunshine hurried around to order the crowd to stand away, even gently pushing some obstinate people back. "Please give us space. Megavolt will be subdued, but it _will _be dangerous. Please stand back." She looked over her shoulder to the store. "Please be all right, you two. I will help you if you need it, but… _please_…"

**All right, Wonderboy,** Dreamchild mentally spoke to him. **He seems to be a rather powerful opponent, so we can't rush in. We need to formulate a plan. Shall—** She looked to where he was but didn't see him. She snapped her attention towards Megavolt and, sure enough, Wonderboy was already marching up to him. _Or you could rush in and, um, see what happens. We could start by ruling out possibilities, yes_. Very annoyed, she planted her right hand on her face and pushed up her nose as she trailed her palm along her face, up her forehead, and through her hair.

"Pardon me, uh, sir," Wonderboy said with a deeper voice.

Megavolt leered at the man. "_Whaaaaaat_? Can't you see I'm liberating here?"

This was the first time Wonderboy got a perfect look at the villain. Megavolt was a mostly hairless rat. He had a few strands of black hair poking out from under his hat, and a few crooked strands of whiskers. His helmet was red and with two large prongs on top, giving it the appearance of a plug. His electric (single) goggle was purple, and his left eye appeared larger than the right. His yellow jumpsuit was made entirely of rubber. His gloves were teal but his galoshes were a darker blue. He had a purple belt and an electric cord reel attached to the left side of it. He had a large power inlet fastened on his chest by purple straps, and those same purple straps also held an outrageously large battery on his back. Megavolt looked silly, but looks could be deceiving.

"I'm going to have to ask you to stop your… light bulb liberation." Wonderboy eyed the bag curiously.

"Oh, okay. Since you asked, I'll stop." Megavolt got up and held his hands up in the 'don't shoot me' gesture.

Wonderboy cocked his head. "R-really?"

"_No_, dimwit!" Megavolt pointed to the man with both index fingers and shocked him with a fair amount of volts.

Wonderboy clenched his fists and cried loudly. It was the most painful thing he felt in a long time. Once the attack finished, Wonderboy staggered but quickly regained his footing. He was hurt but, surprisingly, there was no visible lasting damage anywhere on his body or costume.

"What'd you think, I'd just stop because you told me to?" the rat mockingly said. "And people think _I'm _crazy! And they're right! But—_heeeyyyyyy_. Another goody two-shoes in a costume?" He pointed to him with suspicion in his crazed eyes. "You're not in the Dream League, are you?"

"As a matter of fact," Dreamchild said from behind him, "he is. And so am I."

Megavolt pivoted and glared at the little girl cruelly. "_You_!" He paused. His pointing finger dropped and he admitted his confusion, his menacing demeanor gone. "Who the heck are you?"

"My name is Dreamchild." The little girl's arms were folded on her chest. "We're from the Dream League, and we would like to know just—"

Megavolt once again pointed accusingly to her and bared his teeth, this time legitimately angry. "Hey! _Dreamchild_! I know _you_! Well, I know who you are… we never met. _But I know you_! Remember… Quackerjack?"

"The insane toymaker who recently hijacked a train?" Dreamchild humored the rat. "Of course I know him. I put a stop to him."

"Quacky told me about you. He told me to beware the Dream League… especially Dweebchild."

The little girl flinched. "_Dweeb_child?! Now, see here—" She stopped her childish emotions from overwhelming her. She forced a nonchalant demeanor and shrugged. "Um, it serves him right. Quackerjack is bonkers and he got what he deserved."

"Yeah? And so will you!" He raised his hands to attack her, but Wonderboy got his attention.

"I don't think so, Megavolt!" The Zero to Hero reached to grab his shoulders.

"Wonderboy, don't!" Dreamchild cried, but she was too late. Wonderboy was electrocuted upon physical contact. He flung back and landed on his rump, jittering a little but with no serious damage. "I'm so sorry," Dreamchild said with a pained face. "I only thought of that possibility _just_ now." She felt so much guilt.

Megavolt glared at her. "And as for _you_! How do I like my Dweebchild? Oooh, I dunno. Maybe… _extra crispy_!" He lunged for Dreamchild, and swung his arms for a grab but the girl dodged him with an elegant hands-free cartwheel. He grumbled and raised his hands again. "Hold still!"

"Wait!" Dreamchild shouted with an outstretched hand. "At least answer me one question, Megavolt. How did Quackerjack tell you about me? He's in D'Arque Asylum!"

"Hahaha!" Megavolt's laugh was ear-splitting. "Shows what _you _know, Dweebchild! You're supposed to be smart! Newsflash for ya: he escaped!"

Dreamchild's eyes widened. "Wh-what? When?"

"Oh, lessee…" Megavolt stopped and scratched the side of his head to think. His demeanor changed entirely. "Tonight's Saturday, soooo… it must've been about last night… or was it two nights—_hey_!" He glared at her again. "None of your business!"

"Megavolt," Dreamchild said somberly, "surrender now and you _may_ get a reduced sentence. If you resist arrest, justice _will _punish you severely."

"What's it gonna do?" Megavolt grinned. "Put me in the chair… again? _Hahahahahaha_!" He gasped when he felt his battery pulled and tugged powerfully. "Whoa-oh-oh-oh-eh-eh-ey!" He looked over his shoulder to see if it was that buff man again, but it wasn't. He looked to the girl, who appeared stressed and in the process of exerting effort despite not doing anything physically. He realized she was trying to telekinetically remove the battery from him, but it just wouldn't break free. "Oh, _that's fair_." He mocked her femininity by exaggerating his voice and body language to seem dainty. "Ooh, look at me, I'm Dweebchild! Ain't I just cute? I'm going to take the battery out of Megavolt…" By that point his attitude resumed being dangerous and furious. "… Because I'm a little brat who doesn't play fair! _YOU WANT ME TO RIP OUT YOUR BRAIN TO MAKE IT EVEN?!_" Absolutely infuriated, the prongs on his helmet glowed brightly.

"Pooh," Dreamchild cursed. "It's really stuck on him." Her white eyes opened all the way when she realized what Megavolt was up to.

Megavolt shot beams of electricity at many appliances in the cookware aisle next to them. Specifically, he paid close attention to appliances that had blades. All the blenders in the aisle levitated and activated, despite not being plugged in. The blenders' pitchers all dropped, leaving the blades _dangerously_ exposed. They whirred insanely fast; they would have sliced flesh upon contact. "One Dweebchild smoothie coming right up! There may be _chunks in it!_ _HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!_"

Dreamchild rarely expressed such fear, but for a moment Megavolt had the satisfaction of seeing his enemy scared. But, again, Dreamchild controlled her emotions and gripped the blenders through telekinesis. She pushed them backward, but Megavolt shook his head.

"Oh, no you don't!" he shouted through gritted teeth. He pushed again, harder than before.

Dreamchild was impressed by the rat's power. The control he had over the appliances definitely challenged her telekinesis. She could have tried to push the blenders away some more, but she knew wasting so much time was risky. Also, something behind Megavolt got her to grin confidently. She released her mental hold on the blenders and dashed to her left.

"What's th'matter?" Megavolt mocked. "_Scared_?" He felt a tap on his shoulder. "Just a sec," he casually said to Wonderboy, "I'm busy." He returned his focus to Dreamchild for a second before his mind processed what he saw. He snapped his attention back to Wonderboy. He lost control of the blenders, all of which fell to the floor.

Wonderboy held up his electrical glove-covered hands. He was ready to punch the rat six ways to Sunday without as much fear of being electrocuted as before.

"Oh, boy," Megavolt whined.

The punch sent him clear across the room. He slammed against the wall and crashed down on the floor, luckily not landing on any of the blades he was controlling just a moment before. Wonderboy dashed to him, picked him up by the arms and pinned him to the wall. "Are you gonna give up now, Sparky?"

Megavolt's eyes narrowed. He heaved as the prongs on his helmet buzzed with sparks. "Don't call me Sparky!" Again, he electrocuted Wonderboy by grabbing the man's sides, and pushed him off once he broke free of the grip.

Wonderboy shouted during the attack and grunted as he hit the floor. "Guess I gotta just… knock 'em out and not even ask?" He coughed.

"And as for _you_, Dweebchild!" Megavolt pointed to her, who was rushing to him for an attack. He rapidly gained control of multiple appliances and ordered their cords to grab hold of her limbs. She stopped dead in her tracks and struggled to escape. "Looks like you picked the right friend. With an idiot like him and a dim bulb like you, it's true what they say: penguins of a feather flock together!"

Her white eyes bore into him with contempt. She mentally insulted him. **_Birds_****, you ****_twit_****!**

Megavolt jolted and gripped his head upon hearing her voice inside his mind. "Whoa, that was freaky!" He held up his index finger and the tip sputtered. "Better change your tone, young lady!" He approached her and brought his eyes just before hers. "And you probably will when I do… _this_! _HAHAHAHAHAHA_!" He jabbed his finger on her abdomen, and the scream she made was absolute torture to Wonderboy.

"_DREAMCHILD_!" he bellowed. He hated himself for taking so long to regain his composure, but then he knew there was no time to waste. Megavolt had to be taken care of immediately.

After the attack Dreamchild dropped to her knees. She fell onto the floor and moaned. "W… Wond…" She fell silent.

"Hahahaha! _Yes_! I beat Dweebchild!" Megavolt closed his eyes, puffed out his chest and thumbed himself smugly. "Boy, Quacky would give his front teeth just to see that." He shrieked and wriggled frantically as he felt his feet lifted off the floor. He was held up high by Wonderboy. "Hey! _Hey_! Put me down! No fair!" In his state of panic, Megavolt didn't consider attacking him again anywhere below the man's electric gloves.

Wonderboy didn't bother to threaten him. He just hurled him full force toward the shop window. As Megavolt launched, he slammed into the sunglasses stand just in front of the window, which followed him outside. Shards of glass and sunglasses sprayed everywhere, and the crowd outside panicked yet didn't bother to leave.

Sunshine had pivoted when she heard the scream, and was running to the shop's door when the villain unceremoniously crashed through the window and hit the pavement.

Wonderboy, kneeled beside the girl, untangled Dreamchild and cradled her. "Dreamchild! You okay?! Say something!" He shook her gently and whispered, "Alice, please…"

Dreamchild coughed and opened her eyes, which resembled two thin, white lines. "Ooouurrrgh… I'm f-fine. Ow. That really, _really _hurt. Goodness. I haven't felt that much pain since—wait, is he defeated?" Her eyes opened fully.

Wonderboy smiled in tremendous relief when she responded, but he shook his head. "No, he's still out there. We gotta finish this, _now_!" He stood upright and set her on her feet.

"I couldn't agree more. Let's blow his fuse!"

Wonderboy was hit with an idea. "Wait… _that's it_!" **We gotta work together on this one, but I think I got it. We need to…**

As he mentally explained his plan, Dreamchild smirked and nodded.

Sunshine approached Megavolt, who slowly got up to his feet. "It's over, Megavolt. Surrender."

Megavolt glared at her. "Oh, _shut up_, you." He pointed his left hand to a random, little boy with black hair who stood beside his father. Creating an electromagnetic force field, he trapped the kid and his cricket stuffed toy, and lifted him high in the air.

"_Pinoke_!" the father cried in terror. Practically the whole crowd reacted similarly.

"Help!" the boy screamed.

Megavolt held up his right hand to the Ray of Hope, his palm glowing brightly. "You think you can take _me _on?"

Sunshine, her eyes narrowed intensely (which was very uncommon of her), held up her own palm, which was even brighter, squarely at his face. "Release him or I will be forced to take _drastic actions_."

"Oooh, wow…" Megavolt's wide eyes blinked. "Uh, didn't expect you to do that."

While Megavolt was distracted, Wonderboy and Dreamchild left the store. She levitated them so their footsteps wouldn't be heard. They readied their positions and stood in front of a particular item so often taken for granted… unless you're a firefighter, of course.

"_Hey_!" Wonderboy shouted provocatively. "You!"

Megavolt glared to him. "What d'_you_ want?"

Sunshine backed away, once again adhering to her order of not intervening unless Wonderboy and Dreamchild absolutely needed help. She did keep her aim on Megavolt, though.

"You're a joke," Wonderboy said. "You're just a demented, insane, delusional jerk stuck to a battery. You hurt people just because you think light bulbs are alive. I'd feel sorry for you, if it wasn't for the fact that you're just a, uh… a jerk!" He knew he had to get better at insults. "Well, guess what?"

Dreamchild smiled as rudely as she could. She held up something she hid behind her back: a single compact fluorescent lamp.

Megavolt watched in horror. "No…!"

Dreamchild dropped the light and used her power to catch it before hitting the ground so it would land safely. Her right boot stomped on it, absolutely destroying it with a loud shatter. "Your move… _Sparky_."

Megavolt reacted as if he witnessed the cold-blooded murder of his little brother. He released his electromagnetic grip on the kid (who was caught and returned to his father by Sunshine) and gripped his head. "No…! _No_! _NNNNNOOOOOOO_!" He hunched over, almost on the verge of tears. "You just… killed… you… _you… YYYYOOOOU_!" He snapped his head up, revealing bright, featureless eyes. The inside of his goggles was completely overwhelmed by electricity; his eyes could not be seen at all, only brightness. Using the remaining power he had, the rat transformed alarmingly.

"_DON'T_."

He raised his right hand, and from his tips extended electrical blades almost ten feet long.

"_CALL_."

The same for his left hand.

"_ME_."

His voice became distorted and cracked with static.

"_SPARKY_!"

"This man needs intensive therapy," Sunshine whispered with complete earnest, not realizing she made a humorous comment. She was more ready than ever to intervene.

The new and improved Gigavolt swiped for both of the (in his mind) light-killers with his electric blades. Whatever he touched with the enormous blades of electricity, it caused massive damage. The crowd backed away to avoid being touched. Wonderboy and Dreamchild dodged the first swipe, and then another. They ended up back at where they wanted to be, in front of a fire hydrant.

**Come on, ****_come on_****,** Dreamchild mentally pleaded, directed to Megavolt without actually thinking to him.

**Almost,** Wonderboy thought.

Gigavolt, finally close enough, raised his hands in the air dramatically. "I will avenge my brothers by breaking _YOUR SPINES_! And _then_ I'll fry you both like nothing else! _HAHAHAHAHA_!"

"_NOW_!" Wonderboy shouted. He broke the fire hydrant behind him with a swift kick, triggering an immediate geyser.

Gigavolt shrieked. "No! _NO_! _NOT_ _WATER_!"

Dreamchild's turn; it was tricky, but she telekinetically directed the water to spray all over the villain.

Once Gigavolt started to short-circuit, Wonderboy grabbed Dreamchild and escaped from potential danger by jumping away while holding her. He crashed against a large truck that, thankfully, didn't get damaged, with Dreamchild colliding against his chest.

Gigavolt sputtered and writhed in pain, agony, a _little_ embarrassment, but mostly pain. He sputtered and screamed until his voice, eyes, and hands returned to normal. He was left in a puddle, flopped on the ground like a pile of laundry… with a battery strapped to it. He said with breaths hardly audible, "I'll… get you. I'll get you all, Dream League…"

Wonderboy and Dreamchild both panted for breath. She crawled away from him as he sat upright. "You okay?" he asked.

"Yes." She tidied up the blue ribbon on her chest, which had loosened during the fight. "You?"

"Yeah." They were both covered in soot and sweat. Dreamchild's hair was noticeably frazzled and unkempt. He brushed away the strands of his hair. "Heh. How'd I do for my first time?"

Dreamchild cleared her throat. "Well, you rushed in without thinking… you had too much faith in him by asking him to stop after it was clear he wouldn't give up …" Each piece of her criticism made him flinch. "And… you saved my life, and confirmed a theory by defeating him." She smiled warmly. "You're a beginner, but all things considered, not bad at all."

Wonderboy visibly relaxed by the end of her summary. "Thanks, DC."

"Come, we still have more to do."

The Masked Mallard and Bongo finally entered the scene. Bongo happily skipped to cuff the knocked out bad guy, feeling glad he got to do something. Wonderboy and Dreamchild got up to approach their leader.

"Well done, you two!" the Masked Mallard complimented. "This supercharged scatterbrain will be put in D'Arque Asylum. I'm as sure as a sun at dawn… and speaking of which." He looked to Sunshine. "You're getting better with being threatening."

Sunshine could not have looked any more different than she was moments ago. She looked femininely happy and elated. "Oh, thank you! That means so much!"

Bongo, after cuffing the incapacitated Megavolt, hurried to Dreamchild to hug her.

"Bongo, don't!" she cried, but she was too late… for the second time.

Bongo was zapped nosily and jolted in minor shock. His fur puffed out all over, making him look like a walking fuzz ball. His left eye twitched involuntarily as he released.

Dreamchild covered her mouth and blushed, feeling ashamed yet amused. "I… was afraid I still had some electric current on me. Are you all right?"

Bongo shook his head and nodded, but his fur remained the same. He shrugged and waved at the crowd.

Wonderboy hurried to the father with his son. "Excuse me, uh, sir. Is your son okay?"

"Yes, he is. Oh, sir, thank you all so much!" He looked to him with the kindest eyes imaginable. "What's your name? Who are you?"

"I'm Wonderboy. I'm part of the Dream League. _We're _the Dream League."

"Gee, mister," the boy said excitedly, "you're strong!"

The man exclaimed, "Thank you, Wonderboy!" This started a chain reaction, and soon nearly everyone in the crowd either chanted his name or cheered him on.

Wonderboy never felt so proud. He waved as his eyes slowly drifted from one end of the crowd to the other. "Y-you're welcome. I'm here to help." He felt the chills again. He knew this was his purpose. It was so clear now. For the first time in his life, he was accepted and appreciated by the public… even if it meant adopting a different identity.

Sunshine was among those who applauded, though her claps were soft and delicate. She was so proud of the Dream League's newest member, but her thoughts were interrupted when she happened to look around and notice something strange. The figure up on the rooftop moved about, which caught Sunshine's attention. Without another word, she flew right to it. She didn't recognize the shadowed figure until she was close enough, and she was met with a sweet welcome.

"'Ello, Sunshine!" a man with a Cockney accent said.

Sunshine relaxed and returned a graceful smile. "Oh, it's you, Bert. Hello!"

The man was covered in soot and dirt, but he didn't appear bothered at all. In fact, he looked as merry as any man could be, considering they lived in a hellhole like Epcot City. He had on a simple denim jacket, jeans, boots, and an English flat cap that was all covered in soot. He took up his chimney sweep with pride. "Chimneys are a dyin' breed, that they are. But some good folk, they knows fine art! They keep me in bus'ness, at least!"

Sunshine grinned. "Always look on the bright side, Bert. Never discard compassion."

"Just like you, Sunshine," he said with a wink. They obviously respected each other very much, if anyone happened to witness their conversation.

"I have to go, but it's lovely seeing you again, Bert! Goodbye!" Before she could turn she heard his voice.

"Wait, Sunshine. Who's yer new friend?"

"Oh, he's Wonderboy."

Bert nodded as he observed the newcomer from his distance. Surprisingly, it was easier to see down there than the other way around. "Hm… Well, off ya go! Sorry t'have troubled you." He kindly tipped his hat and resumed his work, whistling an instant earworm.

"Until next time, Bert." She cast one final smile to him before she flew back to her fellow Dreamers and the crowd.

"Well, all's well that ends well," Dreamchild said.

Wonderboy nodded. "Yeah." He looked down and noticed that one of the sunglasses from the display case that launched through the window was right at his feet. He couldn't resist. He bent, picked it up and readied it. "I guess you could say that fight was…" He placed the sunglasses over his eyes. "_Electrifying_."

Dead silence lingered for a few seconds.

Dreamchild slapped her hand against her face and groaned in both annoyance and amusement.

Sunshine smiled helplessly. "I… don't understand. I'm sorry."

The Masked Mallard eyed him flatly. "Better stick with this superhero business and not comedy, Wonderboy."

Wonderboy blushed and tossed the sunglasses back toward the shattered window. "Heh, sorry."

"By the way, Sunshine," the Mallard said. "Who is that shadow up there?"

"Bert." Sunshine smiled.

"Bert?" Wonderboy repeated.

"A friend of ours," Sunshine answered.

"Careful with him," the Mallard warned. "We still don't know much about him. He's a rather mysterious…"

"Oh, he's kind and gentle." Sunshine was absolutely convinced without a shadow of doubt, judging by her tone. "We've met before many times."

"I'm afraid I'll have to postpone saying hello to him for another night," Dreamchild said. "I still feel a bit weak, and the sooner I can go to sleep..."

"By the way, what does the Dreamchild dream?" Wonderboy asked teasingly.

"My dreams are normally quite mundane, if you can believe it." Dreamchild smirked. "For example, let's say I'm going to the grocery store… but then I realize they're out of strawberries. That's my usual nightmare." The Dreamers all chuckled, except for Bongo who not only could not laugh (of course), but he was also too busy trying to keep his fur from sticking up. He finally gave up and kicked the ground.

Police sirens blared, and soon the crowd had to clear for them to approach the Dreamers and the unconscious Megavolt. The officers took Megavolt away and informed the Dream League to return to O'Hara, which they agreed to do without question. Dreamchild alerted the officers that Quackerjack had apparently escaped, which puzzled them because they received no such reports, either.

* * *

"Thank ye, Dream League!" Chief O'Hara warmly exclaimed to Wonderboy, Sunshine, and the Masked Mallard. The rest decided to wait in the Star Wisher on the HQ's rooftop. O'Hara's office was covered with papers and folders but not what you could call messy. It was comforting and didn't harbor anything that suggested corruption. Of course, being an Irishman, O'Hara had a prominent Irish-themed calendar pinned to his wall.

"It was nothing," Wonderboy bluffed.

"Really?" The chief asked.

"… Okay, it hurt. But I beat him, right?" Wonderboy looked to the others for approval.

"That ye did, and he'll be punished, I'm certain. Though I'd bet me last dollar he'll end up in the asylum and not jail." He shook his head. "But welcome aboard, Wonderboy!"

"Thanks, Chief." Wonderboy saluted him. The chief chuckled and saluted in return. "Have a good night." Wonderboy started to leave, but the Masked Mallard, who was the closest to the door, snapped his cane across the doorway to prevent him from leaving.

"Wait a minute, lad!" Chief O'Hara said in amusement. "Haven't ye forgotten somethin'?"

"Uh…" Wonderboy shrugged.

"Paperwork! Ye can't walk off without takin' th' paperwork." He stood up, picked up a stack of a disconcerting amount of papers, and approached Wonderboy to drop it into his waiting hands. "Finish it and return it as soon as ye can, okay?" He grinned.

"Uh… thanks!" Wonderboy's smile wavered. "I'll get right on it!"

Sunshine laughed softly and addressed Wonderboy. "We forgot to tell you. But don't worry; we all help each other with the paperwork."

"Aye." The Masked Mallard tipped his hat. "One of the 'perks' of the job. Heh-heh."

Chief O'Hara smiled at the Dreamers' evident leader. "Thank ye for all th' help. Without ye, we'd…"

"You don't have to thank us, Chief." The Masked Mallard held up his cane. "The Dream League strives to protect and defend."

"All th' same," the Chief replied, "thank ye."

The Dreamers left after a fond goodbye.

* * *

Back in her room in the Overlook, Sunshine, with her mask off and in a white nightdress, hummed beautifully as she brushed Bongo's fur with a comb. Bongo would normally have been annoyed beyond compare, but the fact that it was Sunshine made it a lot easier to take.

"There!" the unmasked Sunshine said. "Your fur should look better soon enough."

Bongo examined himself in her room's long, vertical mirror and nodded approvingly. He hopped onto Sunshine's lap and hugged her.

"You are very welcome, Bongo!" She kissed the bear's forehead and gently set him down. "But I'm going to bed now. Where do you think you'll sleep tonight?"

Bongo smiled widely and pointed to her bed.

The Ray of Hope smiled. "Very well." The bear flopped onto the soft, very comfortable bed and started to wrap himself in a blanket, just like he did in Wonderboy's room the previous night. Sunshine giggled. "Bongo, why do you like to do that so much?" She giggled again when he resembled a cocoon with a bear's face. "Well, as long as it pleases you, do what you will!" She stood up, stretched and turned off the light, leaving the door slightly ajar. It was very dark inside even with the door a little open, so she used a superpower one last time for the night. She literally brightened her skin, acting as a bioluminescent person. To a first-time viewer, this would appear absolutely frightening, if not merely shocking. But Bongo was used to it. The glowing Sunshine used this power to watch her step as she walked to the bed. She pulled up her side's blankets, slipped in, and ceased her power. The room once again fell dark.

"Bongo?" Sunshine whispered. She heard the blankets move as he rolled to face her. "Can you keep a secret?" This was a rhetorical question, of course. The mute bear nodded. Sunshine couldn't stop smiling. "I… I think Wonderboy and Dreamchild are going to become great friends. They're so happy together, and… it's like they're brother and sister. Isn't that just the _sweetest _thing?" She sounded so touched and excited. She even giggled.

Bongo nodded, rustling his blanket and his pillow.

"But… I wonder if I should tell him about…" She shook her head. "Well, let's just go to sleep, all right?"

The bear yawned and closed his eyes.

"Good night, Bongo," she whispered. "I love you." She rested on her pillow and drifted off within ten minutes.

* * *

"Heh." Duck Avenger, who leaned against a wall in Dreamchild's room, was amused by Wonderboy and Dreamchild's recap of the mission. "The camera was offline and didn't catch any of it, so I'm sorry I missed your debut, WB." Duck Avenger suddenly felt very unclean saying 'WB.' He didn't know why.

"You weren't playing a computer game?" Dreamchild, seated on the bed, teased.

"I swear I wasn't playin' at the time," the Avenger stated.

"It was kinda intense," Wonderboy admitted, "but in the end she and I stopped him." He nudged his much younger partner with an arm. "You stomped that bulb. Jeez, you're brave!"

Dreamchild laughed. "Goodness… I knew that would upset him, but… I just didn't know _how badly_!"

Duck Avenger smirked. "Well, I'll just go with you next time, WB. We all kinda take turns. Some of us sit out of the ring, 'cause of schedule conflicts or just because we're ordered to."

"Makes sense," Wonderboy said. He paused for a moment before he said, "Thanks, guys."

"For what?" the Avenger asked.

"For accepting me, and… uh. Believing in me." Wonderboy was sincere yet awkward.

"Aw, afterschool special TV moment," Duck Avenger said jokingly. "No problem."

"You're welcome, Wonderboy." Dreamchild answered. "We all have to stay together, remember."

"Yeah, you're a good guy," the Avenger said with more emotion. "Well, I'm gonna get some shuteye. G'night, you two." He walked out of the room while waving a hand.

"Good night!" both Dreamchild and Wonderboy called out.

"I think I'll be going to bed, too." Dreamchild removed her eye mask without even touching it.

"Man… this has been a _long_ day!" Wonderboy said.

"You're telling me," Alice replied. "It is my deepest hope to sleep in. Please be a lazy Sunday, tomorrow!"

Wonderboy nodded. "Yeah. Well…" He looked to the unmasked Dream Come True. "So, this is gonna be the last night you'll spend here until next Friday?"

"Yes," Alice answered with a nod. "Then it's back to the academy for me. But I'll still participate as best as I can… when school isn't in session."

Wonderboy smiled. "What do you think you'd like to be when you grow up? Uh, when you're not fightin' crime, I mean."

Alice blushed and looked away. "I'd… like to be a writer."

Hercules smiled warmly. "I'd buy your book."

She blushed even more and shook her head. "Oh, stop. Hehe."

"No, really! And could I get an autograph with my copy?"

Alice looked to him with fake sternness. "Don't push your luck. I charge for autographs."

He laughed and stood up. "Good night, Alice."

"Good night, Hercules."

"You know, you can call me Herc."

"Thank you for the offer, but I'd rather call you Hercules."

"Oh. Why?"

"I have no problem with your name, and you shouldn't, either."

He looked impressed. He never heard that before. "Uh… you got me there. Well, take it easy."

She remembered something just as he reached the doorway. "Wait!"

Hercules looked back. "What's up?"

"How was it? The crowd, I mean, when they cheered you, when that man thanked you for helping his son. How did it feel? What did you think?"

Hercules smiled in pride and warmth. "… I finally know where I belong."

That was the answer Alice needed to hear. "Good night."

"Good night." He left her room.

Left alone, Alice picked up her yellow teddy bear in the red shirt and tightly hugged it. She had no problem indulging in her more childish fancies when she was on her own.

* * *

A week later, Wonderboy lifted unbelievably heavy weights in the Overlook's gym. After his exercise and with a towel hugging the back of his neck, he answered his vibrating cellphone. He recognized the ID on the phone's screen. "Hey, Ma." He listened for twenty seconds and nearly toppled over in shock. "I have to pick her up _today_?! She's coming home?!"

* * *

The location was the Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport in the province of Rome, Lazio, central Italy. Sometimes you can strike up a conversation with a complete stranger and get along so well that you might feel like you've known the other person for a while. That's precisely what happened with Hercules's cousin. She sat beside an old yet vigorous French Madame who spoke fluent English. The two were seated in front of a large window, the row of chairs facing it like they were in a cinema.

"I am so, _so _sorry, darling," Madame Bonfamille said. "My flight to Paris is only two hours at the most, but you… you're going to _Epcot City_! My goodness, that's so far away!"

The teenage girl shrugged. "Oh, it's not that bad. I mean… I can sleep! The time difference is nine hours, so I'd better get ready to fight jet lag."

The dignified woman laughed. "Well, that's the spirit. Are your parents going to pick you up once you land?"

"I only have Daddy," the girl answered. "But he's on a trip. Because I'm coming home sooner than expected, it kinda… _complicated_ things. He was worryin', but I told him, 'Don't worry, Daddy! I'll ask Hercules to pick me up.'"

"Who is Hercules?" the Madame asked.

"He's my cousin. The closest I have to a big brother." She was so excited and ready to see him again. She had something very big to tell him, and only he could be trusted. "He is the nicest friend ever."

"How charming!" The beautiful, old woman reached into her purse but realized something unfortunate. "Oh, no!"

"What's wrong?"

"I forgot to buy a mint at the souvenir shop. It helps to calm me during flight." She was about to get up but the teenager stopped her.

"Oh, well!" The girl reached inside her carry-on bag and pulled out some. "Here. You want peppermints? I got, like, twenty!"

"Are you certain?"

"Of course! Please take some. I'm the same way. Hehe."

"Thank you, young lady. I appreciate it. Thank you so much."

The girl, by then fluent in speaking, writing, reading, and listening the Italian language, heard the intercom clearly and understood it. (Of course, the same message was relayed in English afterward.) "That's my ride!" She picked up her bag and waved the Madame farewell. "Goodbye, Madame. It's been nice knowing you! I'm sure your cats will be happy to see you." She turned and started to walk away.

"Wait, pardon! Just a moment! Forgive me for forgetting, but what's your name again?"

The sixteen-year-old girl with long, red hair stopped and turned to show her face one last time. Her eyes were light blue, her lips were redder than her hair, and her radiant features betrayed her childish, innocent personality. "It's Ariel." She flashed the Madame one more smile, faced ahead and resumed walking.

**THE END**

**See you next issue!**

-Based on characters created by The Walt Disney Company.

-The Dream League concept was created by Joseph Label and Andrew "Heffy" Wamboldt.

-"Wonderboy" created by Emma Brown.

-"Dreamchild" and "Sunshine" created by Joseph.

-While the basis of "The Masked Mallard" was created by Disney, Nicole H. (One Lucky Unicorn) expanded the character vastly for the Dream League. The same applies for "Bongo's" expansion by Heffy, as well as "Cold Shadow" by Collin Davis.

-In the Dream League's universe, "Cold Shadow" is a separate character; he is _not_ Donald.

**Author's note: Well, ladies and gentlemen, it's gonna be a little while before the next issue. I'm off to a near week-long trip starting this Wednesday, which will include Disneyland on Friday. Woo! I'll definitely get some inspiration for future issues there. :P Anyway, just wanted to let you know Issue #4 will take a while, mostly because, while I do have the idea and know what it'll be about, the rough draft hasn't even been started. So please hang tight and take it easy! Keep it real, Dreamers.**

**Joe**


	5. Issue 4 - Calling Of La Sirenetta Part 1

_ULTIMATE DREAM LEAGUE_

_ISSUE #4_

**_"THE CALLING OF LA SIRENETTA PART I"_**

Written by Joseph Label

Full credits at the end of the issue.

Two days after Megavolt's defeat, Wonderboy was ordered to train.

"Ready for anything!" Wonderboy said. He enthusiastically hopped repeatedly as he loosened his arms' muscles. Even if shaking his hands and arms didn't really do squat, the placebo effect was definitely welcome. He was in form-hugging workout clothes and tennis shoes. His shirt was a dark orange while his shorts were navy. He stood at the center of the Overlook's physical gym, not the simulated training room. Gym mats were laid on the floor in the middle of the room.

The Zero to Hero was not alone; surrounding him were all members of the Dream League, including Duckworth, but with the notable exceptions of Sunshine and Dreamchild. Sunshine was still somewhere in the Overlook, but Dreamchild—more specifically, Alice—was in class at St. Blair Academy. The Masked Mallard once described the little girl as "a devastating weapon, but we only have her for limited hours each week." That blasted school got in the way!

None of the Dreamers had changed their wardrobe to something more exercise-centric, which confused Wonderboy, who was specifically ordered by the Masked Mallard to wear athletic clothes.

"Wonderboy," the Masked Mallard himself said, "are you ready for your test?"

"Yeah!" Wonderboy stopped his hopping and slammed his right first against his left palm, making a loud slap.

"That's the spirit," Duckworth said respectfully.

"Good luck, WB," Duck Avenger said with a grin. "Ya might need it."

"Yeah, thanks! I—huh? Why?" Wonderboy asked. He looked around and realized the only person missing: Sunshine. Her absence meant… "No."

"Aye," the Masked Mallard said with a nod and a wink. He twirled his cane and called loudly. "All right, Ms. Sunshine! Your grand entrance, please!"

Sunshine entered the room, wearing a pink tank top, baby blue gym shorts, and white shoes with pink laces. Her tank top bared some cleavage but not enough to be distracting. Her hair was in a ponytail, and her face was without her mask, her purple eyes radiant as ever. She smiled affably. "Hello, Wonderboy."

"Your mission," the Mallard said to Wonderboy, "is to train under her guidance. She will teach you some new tricks and give you suggestions. Of course, if you have any tricks of your own you should teach her, as well."

Wonderboy felt totally weird; never before had he seen such a beautiful, compassionate woman who was about to kick his ass. He knew she could mop the floor with him if she wanted to. Who knew that the feminine personification of strength wore pink and blue? He looked to the Mallard and shook his head. "I… I don't think I can. I can't fight her!"

"And why is that?" the Masked Mallard asked with a lifted, feathered brow, though he knew the answer. His face barely hid his annoyance.

"Because… she's… a girl." The man winced. "I can't hit her."

"Beware her cooties, little Boy!" Duck Avenger shouted mockingly. He snickered.

Sunshine smiled kindly. "Please don't think of it as a fight. This is a test. I've never had to challenge a man with your strength before, but I'm happy to help you any way I can, and this will also help me. We all feel this is necessary as a test." She grinned, her eyes crinkled. "Hehe. I won't fly or use sunray." Sunray was the name of her standard solar beam attack, usually shot from the palm of her hands, sometimes her fingers. "I promise!"

Bongo, holding purple and yellow pom-poms (none of the other members knew nor bothered to question where he got them), jumped excitedly and flailed his arms about. With a smooth flick of his right paw, he tossed one pom-pom in the air, tilted up his muzzle, and caught the handle of said pom-pom on the tip of his nose, which he balanced with ease. Wonderboy had learned from Dreamchild that the bear used to be the star of a circus act, and he was certainly an entertainer.

"Great job, Bongo!" Duck Avenger said with a clap. "I doubt that'd stop crooks, but it's neat anyway."

Bongo bowed his head and caught the pom-pom as it fell off his nose. Though proud, he admittedly wasn't completely happy without Dreamchild being there to have witnessed it. Why did she have to go to school? Was it really that important? School sounded so boring.

"Wonderboy," the Mallard said, "she might look frail, but she's _a lot _tougher than she appears. You know that. And she won't be a 'girl' for much longer. Isn't that right, Sunshine?"

The Ray of Hope nodded with an excited smile. "Yes, my birthday is just a few months away. I'll be eighteen."

"Yeah, right," Duck Avenger scoffed.

"Hm?" Sunshine curiously responded to him. "What do you mean?"

"Sorry, but you really don't look seventeen." The Avenger held his hands up defensively when the other members eyed him. "Hey, I'm not insultin' her. But look at her! Slender face, her cheeks and chin aren't round, her body's all developed, she stands tall over us; she looks more twenty-seven than seventeen!"

"You've been 'studying' her, then?" The Masked Mallard's tone was very accusatory.

"Hold on! Not like _that_!" The Avenger's white-feathered cheeks blushed. He scratched the bottom of his bill. _Buuuuuuut, _he thought, _if I was her age and I was human, MAYBE I'd crush on her… I guess… _The Avenger himself was pushing thirty.

"And I suppose you think _he _looks like an ordinary eighteen-year-old?" the Mallard said as he gestured to Wonderboy. "He doesn't look a _thing _like an eighteen-year-old, but it's rude to point that out!"

"Which ya just did," the Avenger retorted with a grin.

The Mallard blinked. "Erm." He slammed his cane on the floor in frustration.

"Hey, don't drag _me _into this!" Wonderboy quipped, his hands up as if to block the words. "I _am _eighteen! I can vote, can't legally drink, and I can get into R-rated movies by myself. What more do you want?"

Duckworth covered his mouth with his right hand to thinly hide a fake cough. "Ahem. This offshoot topic about inordinately generous puberties has been riveting, but… may we please get back to the matter at hand?"

"Agreed." The Mallard pointed to Wonderboy with his cane. "Challenge her. You won't pass your exam unless you do."

"Do it," the Avenger said with a malicious grin. "All the _cool kids_ are getting pummeled by Sunny."

"Please don't mock him," Sunshine said to the Avenger like a mother.

"Sorry, Sunny." The Avenger folded his arms on his chest and watched.

Wonderboy winced again and shook his head. "All right! Fine! I get it." Both he and Sunshine were given MMA to wear. "Hey, don't we wear mouth guards or somethin'?"

The Masked Mallard shook his head. "You two won't be punching each other in the face, despite what the Avenger would do at the slightest provocation." He leered at the other duck.

"Hey, MM, know what sounds good for lunch?" The Avenger brought up his fist. "A knuckle sandwich! Hard cut combo!"

"You see?" the Mallard smirked. "You two are just going to exchange defensive techniques and stances. See? Nothing worth dreading."

Wonderboy examined his gloves. "You guys have a digital gym and a real gym. This Overlook is incredible!"

The Mallard smiled in pride. "Scrooge McDuck has funded the gym. He has been rather generous generous."

Duck Avenger mumbled, "Yeah, as generous as a rattler!"

"Hold your tongue!" the Mallard snapped at the younger duck.

Sunshine flipped her ponytail back when the fluffy end overlapped her shoulder. She hit her clenched fists together twice and smiled. "I'm so happy to help."

Bongo, further away from the others, gave up waving the pom-poms. He dropped them and sat on his rump, rocking in excitement, pinching his padded feet.

"Shall we give them space?" Duckworth suggested as he took a few large steps backward.

The teenage blonde smiled warmly to her challenge. "I believe in you, Wonderboy."

Wonderboy felt weak in the knees after hearing that. "Th-thanks. Heh. Okay. I'll go easy on you."

Sunshine's warm smile slowly yet noticeably changed to that of jest. She shook her head. "That's unfortunate… because I won't." She winked playfully. "Hehe."

"Oh, no," he replied.

She bowed her head and stood perfectly still. "Please make the first move. I will explain as we go, but first I'm going to counter your attack. Charge after me."

"But not the face. Got it." Wonderboy rapidly tilted his head left-right to crack joints. "… Okay." He ran full speed to her, ready to… do _something_, but she elegantly twirled out of the way and countered him with a sudden yet not painful hit. "Urk!" He looked to her.

Again, Sunshine remained in place, this time at the opposite end of the mat. As usual, her stance was ready but not threatening. "Let's try that again. I will do exactly what I did, so be ready to counter me. Ready?"

Wonderboy prepared himself and nodded. Again, he ran full speed and, again, Sunshine twirled out of the way. He pivoted just in time to block her hand, holding it in place. "Ah-ha!" He grinned.

She smiled to him. "Very good. Here comes another." Her other fist launched for his abdomen, but he caught it in time, too. Her smile was wider than before. "Good!" She continued to speak as they traded blocked strikes. Sunshine spoke eloquently despite throwing strikes, one after another. "You defended Dreamchild and yourself very well last night, but we all have to practice. We're like cannons at the ready; we need to be maintained and on guard for a moment's notice. Some days are 'off,' as my friends describe it, but we must be fit and nimble."

Wonderboy blocked another fist and chuckled. "Heh. DC told me something like that yesterday. She said even though she has superpowers she has to exercise to make up for her shortcomings."

"She's the most intelligent girl I've ever known," Sunshine replied with a maternal smile. "She'll make an excellent partner for you."

"Yeah, she will." Wonderboy grinned.

The Masked Mallard watched the two with satisfaction. "Well, you're still wet behind the ears, but you've taken another step." He smirked and leaned on his cane. "We _all_ need to train to better defend Epcot City, but you're a real member of our team now, Wonderboy. Welcome."

"Very good!" Sunshine said excitedly. She stopped her practice, which forced him to stop as well.

"Thanks, everybody." Wonderboy gripped his hips. "So, got any other moves to teach me?"

"Sunny's got a real mean headbutt," Duck Avenger said.

Bongo nodded eagerly. He jumped on his feet and pretended to headbutt something, but he tried so hard that he toppled over and rolled once, landing on his rump. He grinned sheepishly.

"Masterful work," Duckworth said to the bear. "You would have done Curly Howard proud."

"Headbutt?!" Wonderboy's eyes widened to Sunshine. "_You_ headbutt?" Of all defensive and offensive moves he could imagine for such a frail-looking darling, headbutting was among the least expected. Perhaps second only to a Hadouken from _Street Fighter_.

"Sometimes." Sunshine was surprisingly earnest. "But be careful. If it's done improperly it will cause serious harm to you."

"But doesn't that hurt you?" Wonderboy asked her.

"No," she answered. Then she shrugged in embarrassment.

"Her copious amounts of bangs protect her," Duckworth quipped, rolling the R in 'protect.' He often rolled his Rs.

Sunshine grinned as she looked up to her huge bangs. "Now that you mention it, I've been thinking about cutting them off." She giggled when everyone stared at her like she was mad. "Fooled you!"

"The day you cut your bangs is the day Dreamchild gets a mowhawk," the Avenger replied.

Duckworth grimaced. "If only one could bleach out mental images."

"Now, then," the Mallard said. "If you're more comfortable now, please continue your training."

Wonderboy and Sunshine were happy to oblige.

* * *

After the practice, Wonderboy requested some alone time with the Masked Mallard.

"Hey," the human said to the old duck. "Uh, about my, uh… alibi?"

"Yes?" The Masked Mallard gripped the handle of his cane with both hands. "What of it?"

"They're convinced I have a job, but… I don't have a job." He felt nervous.

"But you _do _have a job, Wonderboy. You're a protector of Epcot City."

"Yeah, but… I mean… a paying job." He felt super overzealous and ashamed, and even winced after 'job' escaped his lips.

The Masked Mallard looked more annoyed than offended. "What are you saying, Boy?"

Wonderboy couldn't say he was crazy about the Boy nickname. "Uh… could I work for Scrooge McDuck or something? Part time? Like, one day of the week? Just so I have a little more proof for my parents? Please?"

The Masked Mallard's white eyes opened widely. He was visibly surprised. "What do you know about Mr. McDuck?"

"He-uh-h-he's rich?"

"Don't skirt the issue." The Masked Mallard hid his true feelings well; he only seemed half irritated. "What else?"

"I don't know a thing about him." Wonderboy crossed his arms on his chest defensively. "I mean… he, uh, was in my economics class. _Mentioned_, I mean. He wasn't a student. Heh. But I figured, e-even if I have a really lousy part-time job and bring home peanuts, at least that'll convince them. The papers I showed them—the ones you gave me—fooled them, but… well… sooner or later they're gonna check the bank account, and then they'll see… you know?"

The Mallard was confused. "Hold on! You mean you _don't _have your own account? They have access to _your _information?"

"N-no! Yes! Uh, both! I'm still living with my parents, after all. We all have the same bank account."

The Masked Mallard, much to his embarrassment, realized he had forgotten that not every adult had their own bank account. He closed his eyes and fought back a grumble. "Hmm."

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to beg, but… well… I don't want my parents to know their son is getting electrocuted every night. I mean, if Scrooge won't have me then that's fine. I'll just look elsewhere, but—"

"I'll talk to him," the Masked Mallard said. His eyes opened and he smiled a little wearily. "I'll speak with Mr. McDuck and see if he has any openings. Remember, _just _a part-time job."

"Yeah, sure! Thanks!" Wonderboy gripped the Mallard's right shoulder in gratitude. "I owe you big time, MM!"

The Masked Mallard looked at the large hand on his shoulder. "If that's your wee grip, I'd hate to feel your full power."

"Oh, sorry!" He released his hold.

The Mallard massaged his shoulder and sighed. "Think nothing of it. Now, if there's nothing further?"

"Wait, hang on. What's… Scrooge like?"

The Masked Mallard's poker face was phenomenal. "He loves money."

"Heh. Don't we all?"

* * *

A little over a week later, Wonderboy worked out in the same gym. He answered the phone right after lifting unbelievably heavy weights. He recognized the photo ID on his phone: his mother smiling warmly under the dining room light back home. "Hey, Ma."

"Hello, Hercules!" Alcmene said. "Sorry to interrupt you at work."

"Oh, it's no problem. Mr. McDuck's not looking." He chuckled mostly convincingly. He had actually met and occasionally worked for Scrooge McDuck, who hired him for a part time job in his office back in Duckburg. Unlike the Masked Mallard, who was grandfatherly yet bold, Scrooge was a true penny-pinching miser as advertised. "What's up?"

The mother grinned. "Ariel's coming home today! You're going to pick her up, right?"

Hercules nearly dropped the phone. "… She's in Italy."

"She _was _in Italy, silly! She's coming home. Twelve hours' worth of airplane rides!" She sounded a little disappointed. "You didn't hear the voicemail I left last night? Or even read your email?"

Hercules realized that it was true; he hadn't noticed the 'new message' icon at all. "Oh, jeez. I'm sorry, Ma! I'm really sorry. I—yeah! I'll pick her up, no sweat. It's just a surprise, but a great one! I missed her!"

"We all did," a satisfied Ma answered. "Her foreign exchange schedule ended prematurely."

"Yeah, I was gonna say. Weird. Never heard of that happenin'. So, the details are in the email?"

"Yes. Uncle Triton is still away, so she'll have to stay with us. Or you should show her your place. You know, where you sleep when you can't come home?"

"Oh, our home is fine," Hercules managed to say without sounding desperate. "Man, Uncle Triton must be heartbroken that he can't be here right now."

"He is. I spoke with him. But he's glad she'll be with you."

Hercules could just imagine it. No man loved his daughter more than Triton. She loved him so much that she, even as a sixteen-year-old, still called him Daddy. He loved her more than anything else in the world, and would take a bullet for her without a second thought. But that meant he was overprotective, and the two were often caught up in arguments. Still, Uncle Triton meant the best.

"Yeah, well. I'll take care of her. Poor Uncle Triton. Business trips always happen at the worst times, right?"

"Yes, so it seems. Thank you, Hercules. I'll see you and Ariel tonight. I love you."

"Love you, too, Ma! Later!"

As soon as they both hung up, Wonderboy, in the Overlook's gym, gripped his head and panicked. "_OH, MAN_!" He ran upstairs and scampered throughout the rooms until he found Duckworth, who was preparing lunch. "_Duckworth_!"

The butler eyed him flatly. "Where's the murder, sir?"

"Here, now! What was all that racket about?" the Masked Mallard asked, who was at the opposite end of the kitchen.

"MM! My cousin's coming back from Italy! She's been there for about a year, and now she's _back_! Coming back! I'm supposed to pick her up!"

The Masked Mallard and Duckworth looked at each other before returning their focus to the human. "Italy?" Duckworth responded. "How exciting! It's a shame you hate her so, what with your screaming and all."

"No, I love her! But it's just sudden, and…" Wonderboy rubbed his head.

"Easy. A hero must never lose his sanity over a cousin." The Masked Mallard leaned against a kitchen counter. "Just go ahead and pick her up. Do what needs to be done, and don't mention your affiliation with the Dream League at all. Pretend to know nothing about the Dream League if it'll help. Just be your alter ego, _not _Wonderboy. Then when we need you, you'll hear your watch beep, you'll make up an excuse to leave, and then you'll come back." He smirked and half closed his eyes. "There. Was that really so hard?"

Wonderboy grinned in embarrassment and nodded. "Yeah, you're right. Sorry. Just… surprised me. Thanks."

"If you can handle four-thousand volts through you," Duckworth said, "you can handle picking up a cousin from the airport."

"I guess Duck Avenger was right after all." The Mallard chuckled. "You turned into Greece Lightning."

"Don't pun-ish me," Wonderboy answered, which got a chuckle from both animals.

* * *

Ariel, seated by the window, yawned for the eight-hundredth time. _Guess I jinxed myself_, she thought as she recalled what she said to the Madame back at the Italian airport. She said she could sleep, but she had yet to catch a wink. And she still had three hours left. Well, if she couldn't sleep, she could distract herself.

She reached into the pocket attached to the seat in front of her and pulled out what she expected to be a magazine. Instead it was a barf bag. She didn't feel sick (yet), so she put it back with a grin and pulled out the actual magazine. She flipped through it and smiled excitedly when she came across an article that documented her idols.

"The Dream League," she whispered.

The article was littered with photographs of the heroes, most of which were blurry and heavily compressed. Pictures of the Dream League existed, but the heroes generally tried to avoid being captured by close-proximity cameras, because they didn't want their identities speculated. But the two female members of the Dream League were what got Ariel's attention the most.

Sunshine was so beautiful, from what she'd seen in the Internet, and she thought Dreamchild was super cool. Ariel had been gone for a year, but she almost obsessively kept tabs on the Dream League. They didn't exist when she left for Italy, but now that her hometown had heroes to fight the corrupt, she felt relieved and even jealous.

She looked out the window and to the endless sea in the horizon. She smiled. _Someday I'll do my part. You can bet on it._

She returned her focus to the magazine and noticed a poorly taken photo of the newest member. "Wonderboy?" She squinted.

Remembering that the article also had this thing called _text_, she read it after fawning over the pictures.

* * *

Alice Pleasance Liddell was a precocious schoolgirl. She wore the St. Blair Academy uniform, as did all the other students, but she was allowed to choose her own pair of socks as long as it retained the uniform's dominant color, which was purple. Her suit jacket was a dark purple, the vest and undershirt were lighter shades, her necktie was pink, and her black shoes were Mary Jane styled. Her nearly knee-high socks were purple with pink stripes. Her hair was let down, covering most of her forehead. With her book bag in tow, she entered the elective classroom and sat beside a girl.

The American girl looked to the English student with exaggerated disdain. "Hello, _Alice_." Her voice was high and a little shaky, despite being two years older than Alice.

Alice's eyes narrowed and her lips tensed. She leered at her neighbor with extreme contempt. "Hello, _Snow_."

The girl was unusually pale, which was how she got her name as a baby. Her hair was black as ebony, cut short, fluffy with some curls, and parted in the middle. She wore a red headband with a separate bow attached to the center. Her eyes were light brown, and they looked too beautiful to be part of a bully. The two girls stared at each other until Snow cracked a smile. Alice started to giggle and Snow did, too.

"How are you, my friend?" Alice asked. She held up her fisted knuckles, which Snow was happy to bump.

"I'm doing great!" Snow answered. Any traces of disdain were gone; the two merely played. "Did you have a good weekend? I didn't see you at all, and we live in the same hall!"

"Yes, I did, thank you. I just toured the city and spent the nights with some other friends." She lied like a natural.

"That's cool." Snow smiled.

"What about you?"

"You won't believe this! A little blue bird perched on my finger!" She giggled femininely.

"_Really_? Well, I suppose I should practice so I can do the same." She lifted her index finger and bent it as if to exercise. "One, two, one, two."

Snow smiled, dimples forming by her rosy cheeks. "You're so funny, Alice." She was about to say something else, but a boy with buck teeth and a raspy voice intervened on their conversation.

"Hey, if it isn't Albino and Crumpets!" He leaned on Snow's desk and brought his face closer to hers. "You know she's not really English. Her teeth's not crooked enough."

Alice glared at the obnoxious student when he wasn't looking. _Don't throw rocks if you live in a glass house, Buckteeth_. But she pretended to be meek when he looked to her. "Lampwick, w-what do you want?"

"Nothin'." He eyed her rudely. "What d'you care?" He looked to Snow White once more and smirked. "Next time you go to the beach, you might wanna hold off on the sunscreen. It might help." He laughed; his laugh almost sounded like the bray of a donkey. "Snow White. _Snow. White_. Man, your parents must _love _ya!"

Snow White looked deeply hurt. Infuriated, Alice hesitantly stood from her desk and approached him. "Lampwick, please stop that, or…"

"Or else _what_?" the taller boy said to the girl, looking over her.

Alice halted and looked away. "N-nothing. I'm sorry."

"That's what I thought." Lampwick turned and started for his desk, far across the room. "Later, Brit. Snowgirl."

Alice returned to her desk. Snow scooted her desk closer to her friend and placed a hand on the English girl's back. "Oh, Alice, that was brave of you. But you shouldn't have. He… he just doesn't consider the feelings of others. How he managed to enroll in St. Blair, I can't say, but…"

Alice stared icily at Lampwick. "It's just not fair. I wish I can stand up for my friends. I wish I could be… strong." She closed her eyes and shook her head, as if to fight tears. "But I'm just a girl…"

"Alice, you're my friend. That's all that I need." Her face was warm and sweet.

The English girl smiled to Snow White. But from the corner of her eye she recognized the faulty chair Lampwick sat on. One of its legs was wobbly. Perfect. A mental tug snapped it, and Lampwick tumbled harshly on the floor. The English girl 'gasped' along with Snow White. The two, and everyone else in the classroom for that matter, gazed upon the bully and laughed.

"The thing broke!" Lampwick grumbled. "Stupid piece of junk."

Snow White covered her mouth to hide a soft giggle. "Karma," she whispered to her friend.

Alice hid a giggle of her own. "That was very strange."

"Yes, it was." Snow's pale face warmed up again. "But you _are _strong. I think you are."

Alice looked to Snow White and nodded. She smiled gently. "Thank you, Snow. You're very kind."

The teacher, an eccentric and jittery young man named Mr. Thatch, entered, carrying a large bag overflowing with maps and charts. "Good afternoon, everybody!" he said with his wavering yet eager voice. His large glasses drooped slightly, but he was quick to push it back up the bridge of his nose. Confusion struck him when he noticed the broken chair and the well-disliked kid. "Mr. Lampwick, what happened?"

"Stupid thing broke!" He groaned as he rubbed his butt.

"Yeah, I can see that. Heh. I mean, ahem, ah, sorry." The teacher pretended to feel sorry for him.

Alice wanted to grin like a Cheshire cat, but a little smirk was all she could risk. She had to maintain her alter ego, after all.

* * *

Hercules waited inside Epcot City International Airport. He felt excited and worried at the same time. He couldn't wait to see his cousin again after so long, but at the same time he knew it was going to be difficult to hide his secret from her. His parents were one thing. Curious, stubborn, headstrong Ariel was a seahorse of a different color. But he remained calm. Even if she found out about his secret identity, she was not one to rat him out. She never betrayed him before, never tattled on him, never.

Still, he was a little on edge. He fumbled with his phone to send one text message to ALICE LIDDELL. The Dream League made it very clear that no member must ever refer to any DL business through phone or text conversations. That's what the watches were for. Friendships and idle chit chat were fine, but Hercules couldn't refer to Alice as DC or anything like that. Of course, there were workarounds to get some minor, vague points across.

Hercules typed: 'My counsins visiting might be busy for awhile sorry**.'**

He closed his phone, pocketed it, and waited as close to the escalators as he was allowed to be. Eventually, his eyes saw her coming down one escalator. It was unmistakable; her naturally red hair stood out in any crowd. She was in lime green sneakers, baggy jeans, a long-sleeved (the shirt was teal, the sleeves black) T-shirt that didn't cover all her midriff, an unbuttoned, green shirt worn over said T-shirt, and a few bags under her eyes. She was sleep deprived but wide awake. She carried her encased mandolin with her left hand. As soon as she saw her cousin—her big brother, really—she grinned and waved frantically. "HERCULES!" Her hugely expressive, light blue eyes crinkled with emotion. As soon as she was off the escalator she ran.

Hercules smiled warmly and opened his arms for a hug.

She continued running full speed as the distance between them rapidly shrank.

His smile was wiped clean off and replaced with startlement. He should have known this was coming. "Oh—"

Ariel ran into him full force, dropping the mandolin case just as she slammed into him. She knew the big guy could take it, and she wrapped her arms around him so tightly that it hurt her far more than him. "_Hercules_! Oh, my _gosh_! I missed you _so much_!" Her cheek pressed against his chest.

"URK!" Herc grunted upon impact, but it was out of surprise, not pain. He carefully hugged her as tightly as he safely could. "I missed you, too, Ariel!"

Ariel pulled back from him and looked up. She was a lot shorter than he was, standing only about 5'5", almost a whole foot's difference. "Let me get a look at you!" She bit her lip, her joy never fading for a moment. "You're… _still _very tall!" She hugged him again. "Ohhhh, Hercules…"

Hercules chuckled and also returned the hug… again. "Welcome home, Ariel."

* * *

He helped retrieve her luggage, and soon the two were alone in Hercules's car. He was on his way to his house because Triton was still away on business. Ariel would room with the Adelphos family for the time being.

"I'm sorry Uncle Triton isn't here," Hercules said. "But then again, it was a big surprise when you told us you're coming home early. Uh—a _good _one!"

Ariel, in the passenger seat, grinned. "Daddy will be home soon. It's been a year, so what's another day? Or two? Or three…" She looked out the window. "Actually, _three days_ kinda sounds ominous."

"Heh. Well, I'm glad you're back. I missed you." He looked to her and smiled. "How was Italy? I mean, that's a long answer, but…"

"It's a long answer, yeah. Long story short, it was _AMAZING_!" She shouted the last word, clenching her hands into fists and pumping them in the air.

"AH!" Hercules looked at her funnily. "Jeez!"

"I learned Italian. I can now speak it fluently. I think. I probably sounded like a scratched CD when I talked to Italians, but I… it's funny how high schools teach you different languages through a book, but, really, it's _so much easier_ when you practice it in a community." She sang beautifully. "_Parte del tuo mondo…_!"

Ariel continued talking about Italy and how lovely it was, and how awesome the food was, and the like.

Hercules smiled. "Wow. So, hey. Meet any, uh, guys there?"

"Oh, yeah!" Ariel smiled widely and brought her hands up. "I met a few who were so handsome, and charming, and sweet, and…" She held her smile but widened her eyes a little for comedic effect. "Taken." She rolled her eyes and puffed air through the left corner of her mouth, which fluttered the tip of her 80's-like bangs slightly. Then she shrugged. "Well, I guess it's just as well. I knew I had to return home someday, so that would mean a breakup."

"There's plenty of fish in the sea," Herc said comfortingly.

Ariel fake-chuckled. "Heh. Yeah… funny you should mention that."

"What?"

"I-I mean, met any pretty girls while I've been away?" He never had a girlfriend, never been on a date, and never had a slow dance. She wished him a girlfriend for years.

"Uh… well…" He thought about Sunshine. Briar Rose. He felt warm and tender. "Yeah."

Ariel perked up. "Reeaaallllyyy? Ooh, what's her name?"

"Ah… um…"

Ariel's eyebrows plateaued comically. She had a very elastic, expressive face. "How could you forget her name? That's _awful_!"

"Yeah, sorry. But… she's… she _was _nice to me. When I saw her on the street. She was… beautiful. And kind."

Thirty seconds passed.

She looked to him but didn't speak until a few more seconds passed. "You know… I've been reading about the Dream League."

_It begins_, he thought. He chuckled. "R-really?" His grip on the steering wheel tightened.

"Yes…" She paused. "So, Wonderboy."

It took Hercules every ounce of his willpower to not slam the brakes, let alone completely shatter his poker face. "Huh? W-what?"

"Have you seen him? The big, strong man." Ariel smiled. "Kinda like you, except, well…"

"Well, what?" he asked defensively.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" She smirked. "I was just tryin' to imagine you in spandex."

"Why were you reading about the Dream League, and how? You were in Italy."

"Yeah, but I read about them online. And some of my friends told me about them. And I saw pics of them in a magazine on the way over here! Can you believe it? _Real _heroes in our city! I've followed them for months. It's about time some people decided to clean up this place. It's _crazy _here. Daddy won't even let me take the trash out at night."

Hercules inwardly grumbled. _That's great. She went to Italy and STILL knew about the Dream League before me. That's just great. Still, sounds like she doesn't know I'm Wonderboy._

"I think... hehe. I can't believe I'm saying this, but… I think I'd scream if I met Dreamchild or Sunshine."

"… Because they're female?" Hercules asked. "You're forgetting about Duck Avenger, the Masked Mallard, and Bongo. And, uh, Wonderboy."

"Noooo, not because they're female. 'Cause they're—wait, Duck Avenger?" she asked. "Who's he?"

"Eh, he's kinda—" He barely scrambled out of the trap he was falling into. "Uh, kinda not so popular. Not much is known about him. He's not in the news as much. It's more about… yeah, Sunshine and Dreamchild. And Bongo. The bear."

Ariel grinned again. "Bongo's so cute. And Sunshine's beautiful, isn't she?"

"Wouldn't know. I never met her." He felt so on the spot.

"Even with that mask on, she's… I mean, how do her bangs stay like that?! And she can _fly_!"

"I don't like the idea of Dreamchild." He had to cover his alternate identity by saying something totally untrue. "I don't think a little girl should fight crime."

"Normally I'd agree, but have you _read _about her? She's a psychic! She can levitate and beat up bad guys without touching them! And she's originally from England, or so the articles say. You don't mess with a European!"

"What the heck does that mean?" He looked to her.

"I dunno, but Dreamchild's one tough girl!"

_Yeah_, Hercules thought, _the weasels can vouch for that_.

"She can hold her own. But…"

"Why're you interested in the Dream League?" Hercules asked.

"…" She fell silent and looked out the window. "It's just cool. Really cool. This place is a dump, but it's good to know the cops are being helped." Another pause followed. "Hercules, could we go to the beach tomorrow? Daddy still won't be home, and… well." She looked to him and smiled. "Remember our old adventures? Explorin' caves and checkin' out waters."

"Near Lake Tahoe, yeah." Herc grinned.

"We had so much fun!"

"_You _had so much fun. You wouldn't give up putting our lives in danger."

Ariel poked him with an index finger. "Hey! Nothin' ventured, nothin' gained!" She smiled more warmly after the tease. "But you really helped out. You were strong enough to move rocks even then."

"Yeah," Hercules said. "And you could hold your breath for ten minutes."

Ariel's smile lessened as she thought.

"Ariel?"

"Oh, just thinkin'." She looked out the window. "So, could we go to the beach tomorrow? Please? Are you working?"

"Uh, okay." Hercules didn't know if he would be allowed to, but he couldn't think of an excuse on the spot. "Sure." The phone in his denim jeans vibrated once, and at the same time the distinctive sound file from a classic arcade game played: 'I can fix it!'

Ariel smiled in amusement. "Is that a text?"

"Yeah. But I don't text and drive! I mean… heh. What if the Dream League stopped you for texting? That'd—"

Ariel, wearing a seatbelt, jumped as much as she could and shouted, "SUNSHINE!"

"Yeah, like if Sunshine stopped you for texting—"

"No, it's _her_!" She lowered the window and pointed to the sky.

Hercules looked as best as he could while driving. He felt nervous. "Y-yeah, I see her. What's she doing?"

"It looks like she's going somewhere. Oh, my gosh, what if she's about to save the day?! We gotta see it!"

Hercules swallowed. "Uh. Maybe we shouldn't. It could be dangerous, and—"

"Herc, please?" Ariel started the irresistible guilt trip. "_Please_? After this we'll do everything you want to do, but I would love to see Sunshine in action with the best cousin in the world. Please? I might not get another chance." She bit her lip.

He hated being a sucker. "Okay, fine." He was obviously worried. "But we'll just be careful, all right?"

"Thank you, Hercules!" She beamed as she looked out the window.

Sunshine soared over the beach. Judging by where she was heading, and the fact that she was losing altitude, it became easy to guess her destination: the Epcot City Coastal Boardwalk. Specifically, the French cuisine restaurant, Les Poissons.

* * *

Sunshine's heeled boots clicked on the wooden floor as she landed just in front of the lofty restaurant. It looked like an expensive yet delectable place, but the outrageous prices were the least of Sunshine's concern. It was immediately clear what was going on: the head chef, his workers, and the patrons were held hostage by two robots.

Sunshine's lips opened slowly in surprise. She had never seen anything like them before. She was familiar with the concept of robots, but these robotic criminals weren't even humanoid in appearance. They had appendages with bulky claws attached. Their spines were curved and flexible. Wires were visible, but they were protected in transparent tubes. Worst of all, they seemed lethal. Sunshine knew she had to be careful.

"You two."

The robots stopped looting the cash register and turned to 'face' the Dreamer.

"Stop this at once," she stated.

"It's Sunshine," most of the patrons murmured. Some even sounded reassured, but the head chef did not.

"_Mademoiselle_," Chef Louis said from a corner of the room. He was dressed like any respectable head chef, his toque blanche being his most prominent article. His mustache consisted of two curly, long strands of hair. "Please help us!" He sounded more infuriated than terrified. He held up a frying pan with a huge indent on it. "I tried to stop zem, but… _zut alors_, zey are _ghastly_!"

Hercules parked the car in the lot just in front of the Boardwalk's entrance, which looked strange because practically everybody on the face of the planet seemed to run as far away from the restaurant as fast as possible. Ariel nearly walked right up to the restaurant, but Hercules grabbed her hand and held her in place.

"Not so fast!" he whispered. "We can see it just fine from here."

Ariel eyed him like, 'Aw, really?' But she accepted the compromise. She couldn't wait to see Sunshine in action.

The robots buzzed noisily. Both machines extended their arms as the claws retracted inside the limbs. The arms flipped to the other end, but the new weapons were much worse than mere claws. The left robot's hands formed machine guns, and the right robot was equipped with flamethrowers.

Sunshine's eyebrows furrowed and her lips compressed. Shockingly, it was purely out of displeasure, not terror. "Because you two don't have souls, destroying you will be easier to live with. I regret to say."

The robot with the machine gun fired squarely at her, causing everyone in the restaurant, and Ariel, to gasp or scream. Hercules grabbed his cousin and dropped to the wooden floor with her. Bullets hit Sunshine, but not a single one penetrated her skin, even the ones aimed at her face. They stopped and dropped to the ground, bent and twisted, utterly useless.

After the rain of bullets, Sunshine flipped her hair and shook her head. "This ends _now_."

"We could get killed!" Hercules shouted to the redhead.

"Yeah! Isn't this excitin'?!" she answered, never taking her eyes off the scene. "She's _bulletproof_! Is she even human?!"

Hercules slammed his forehead on the boardwalk in annoyance. _Just like when we were kids_!

Sunshine knew that using her powerful solar rays indoors would risk significant collateral damage. She wished her enemies were outside where it would be easier to attack, but she would have to make do here. Still, the robot with the flamethrowers concerned her more than the one with the guns. The other robot launched a fiery assault on her, each thrower aimed at different angles. She jumped in the air and flipped twice before landing on her feet on the other side of the attacker, not to show off but to avoid the flames as they were aimed. She grabbed and ripped the limbs off the flamethrower robot. Sparks buzzed from the severed wires that stuck out from the joints. She kicked the helpless robot down. Then she just barely grabbed the other robot in time. She held it high and, with her right knee up in the air, slammed it upon said knee and broke the robot's spine in clear half. It also sparked from the damage and fell defunct. It was terminated. She dropped both halves of the robot and turned to the other. It was still active because it acted unexpectedly.

The robot spoke, despite not having a face, and its voice was creepy and littered with static, yet the words were unmistakable. "Self-destruct in 10, 9…"

The crowd screamed. Hercules grabbed Ariel and scrambled to get up. Sunshine's face perfectly captured the mood of inconvenience. "Oh, dear." She grabbed the self-destructing robot and flew out of the restaurant, high into the air and above the sea.

"7… 6… 5…"

The crowd, Chef Louis, Hercules, and Ariel all dashed to the railings and leaned to the absolute edge of the Boardwalk to watch the pink and blue heroine vanish into the sky. Then a large explosion happened. For a few seconds Hercules was struck with grief. He stared helplessly, begging a merciful god of any kind to spare her life.

_No_, he thought. _Is she…?_

"She had to make it!" Ariel shouted. "She _had _to! SUNSHINE!" She didn't notice Hercules's shattered face.

"_Sacré bleu_!" Louis shouted as he pointed. "Look! Sunshine!"

The Ray of Hope survived, albeit with messy hair, some soot on her face, and a tired yet relieved expression. She landed in the center of the cheering crowd; the saved lives all gathered around her. "Is everybody all right?"

Ariel jumped and pumped her fists in the air. "_WOW_! Didja see that, Hercules?! She's _amazing_! WAY TO GO, SUNSHINE!"

Hercules pressed his right hand to his barrel chest and exhaled. He shook his head and smiled. "Yeah… Thank heavens she's okay." His heart skipped a beat when Sunshine's eyes met his, despite their distance apart. He pointed to himself and shook his head, but slickly changed his gesture to a thumb's up when Ariel turned to look at him. "She's awesome, yeah! Heh!"

Sunshine wondered what Hercules meant, but her thoughts were interrupted when she was publicly congratulated. Some of them even had the courage to approach her and pat her on the shoulders or shake her warm hands. "Thank you," Sunshine would say. "I-I mean, you're welcome? I… heh. Hehe." She blushed. She was modest to a fault in crowds.

The eccentric chef, still holding his ruined frying pan with one hand, took the savior by her dainty hand and kissed it. "Ooh, warm. I mean—ahem! Zat was _magnifique_, Sunshine! I'm so grateful zat, should you come to Les Poissons, I will serve you a meal… 25% off!" He let go of her and blissfully grinned.

Sunshine giggled a little and smiled, never minding the kiss. "Oh, um… thank you! I adore seafood, so I would love to come back someday." She didn't have a moment to breathe; the crowd started to become a little too self-entitled to approach her and speak to her once again.

Ariel and Hercules stood for a few moments. The redhead was both excited and nervous. "Gosh, I really, _really _wanna stay and talk to her, but… she looks so busy, and I don't wanna annoy her. Oh, man, what if… she doesn't like me?" She bit her lip and her eyes darted left and right.

Hercules took her hand. "I think we should go. We've seen enough."

Ariel followed for two steps but stopped and loudly whispered. "OMIGOSH, she's walkin' here… _she's walkin' heeeere_!"

Hercules was terrified to see it was true. Sunshine, after talking to some of the excited citizens, approached Hercules and Ariel. Some of her followers wondered why she chose to talk to those two and not, well, them!

As soon as Sunshine approached them, Hercules hastily talked. "Sunshine, it's _so _cool to meet you! I've been a fan for a long time! Heh, a-a-and even though I'm _nobody you know_ at all, _my cousin_ and I are so… e-excited to meet you! You saved everyone! You're really a hero!" He grinned though his eyes were scared.

Ariel didn't suspect anything fishy, so to speak; he was always awkward around pretty girls, and she figured he was just being nervous. Besides, she, herself, was nervous. She was a fangirl who had just returned to America, only to meet one of her idols. "Oh, my gosh… Sunshine… you were _amazing_!"

Sunshine, immediately catching on to Hercules's situation, smiled. "Well, sir, it's an honor to meet you, and your cousin." She looked to her with the warmest, humblest smile Ariel had seen in a long time. "May I ask your name?"

Ariel inwardly leapt in joy. "A-Ariel! My name's Ariel."

"Ariel, and sir?" Sunshine exchanged looks to both of them. "Thank you for your kind words. As long as you and the other innocent denizens of Epcot City are safe, that's all I hope for." She placed her right hand on Ariel's left shoulder. "Be careful and stoic, and love your family and friends." She smiled sweetly.

Ariel felt the abnormal warmth of the hand. She blushed and awkwardly stalled. "Uh… I…" She bit her lip and looked around. "C… can I… take a picture? Wait, you and the other Dream League teammates don't like pics. W-what about an autograph? Wait, I don't have a pen, and the only paper I got is a receipt, but…" Without giving her next action much thought, she threw her arms around Sunshine and hugged her as tight as she could. "Sunshine, you're way too awesome!"

Hercules stared in disbelief. He blinked once. He wasn't a frequent reader of the Oxford English Dictionary, but even considering he couldn't think of a word to describe Ariel's sudden hug.

Sunshine's black pupils constricted slightly and her lips pursed, but she giggled and returned the hug. "That's… kind of you. Thank you. Hehe."

Ariel pulled from the hug and looked into those masked eyes. She noted how much taller Sunshine was compared to her. "Please, _please _tell me one thing! What's Wonderboy really like?"

Sunshine felt the urge to look at Hercules, but she didn't to spare his cover. She smiled maternally and answered, "He's a sweetheart."

Hercules felt something inside his chest that was, at the very least, better than cardiac arrest. He smiled and tried his best to fight back his blush.

"I'm sorry, Ariel," Sunshine said, politely stepping back. "But I must return to… work, as they say. I'm sorry I couldn't sign an autograph for you."

"I hugged the Ray of Hope!" Ariel nearly squealed. "That's good enough for me!"

Sunshine paused. "Really? That's what they call me?" She tilted her head quizzically.

"Well, yeah! That's your nickname in magazines and online and stuff. Why? What's wrong?"

Sunshine blushed and smiled modestly. "It's just that it sounds a little… well… a little… pretentious." She giggled. "But thank you. I'm pleased some people think of me that way. Now, if you'll excuse me." She bowed her head respectfully and made her way through the crowd, back to the restaurant, to investigate the other robot. "Please stand back, everybody," she requested the crowd as she entered the establishment.

Ariel watched her leave, feeling like dancing on cloud nine. "Ohhh… she's wonderful, isn't she?"

Hercules smiled. He also felt an emotional high, but for a different reason. "Yeah. She's… great." He shook his head and gently took his cousin's hand. "We should go now."

"Yeah. I'm with ya." They started to leave. "I wonder what Sunshine's afraid of?"

"…" Hercules shrugged. "Beats me."

"Failure, probably." Ariel grinned. Then she felt anxious. She had something very important to tell her cousin, but it would have to wait until the next day's beach visit. But she was scared and excited at once, which made for a weird cocktail of feelings. But meeting an idol like Sunshine, and seeing how compassionate she was, only cemented Ariel's ambition. Someday she would get a taste of that life. She wanted to ask the Dream League her questions and get some answers.

While Hercules and Ariel left, Sunshine was inside the restaurant, knelt before the evidence, examining the two halves of the other robot. She pressed a finger to her bottom lip as she carefully thought it all out. There were no current supervillains whose modus operandi was mechanical work, with the exception of Quackerjack, who handled demented toys. But she knew Quackerjack would never create some robots like these, especially when they didn't resemble toys at all. With Quackerjack it was 'Toys 'r Bust,' no exceptions. She was absolutely positive that this was the work of someone the Dream League had never faced before, though she didn't really have proof besides the remains of this mechanical enemy, so the other teammates probably wouldn't be as certain as she was. But she knew she was right, for whatever reason.

She paused and smiled. _Robots_, she thought. _It's strange to think that a year ago I never even heard of such things. Or a car. Or even an iPod._ She giggled and shook her head. _I'm still so new to everything here in the Great Beyond_.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she remembered the redheaded girl. The cousin. "Hmm." She carefully picked up the parts and carried them all as she prepared to fly back to the Overlook. _I guess Hercules won't be back tonight._

Meanwhile, suspicious figures were hidden: two of the Beagle Boys, Bankjob and Burger, both of whom were hidden inside another building but had witnessed everything through a live video feed. No one inside Les Poissons noticed the tiny camera subtly attached to a decoration.

"Hey!" Burger said. He pointed to the monitor. "Sunny's takin' the pickings!"

Bankjob removed the buds from his canine ears. "The little guy ain't gonna like dis one bit."

"Th' only thing _I _didn't like one bit was breakin' the food!" Burger said. He sniffed, almost pouting. "I never got to eat a single crab. I was gonna take one… hundred!"

"Ya just ate!" Bankjob replied.

"Yeah, and, boy, am I hungry again! And crabs ain't cheap!" He rummaged through a bag on the table. "Got any snacks?"

"Let's just get back to th' joint. The little guy's gotta tough up th' bots… if he wants'ta get Sunshine." He grinned. "She really pulverized 'em."

"Yeah, Sunny's great!" He retrieved a Snickers bar and hastily ate it, speaking with his mouth full. "And, mmm, maybe next time, munch, we can _really _give her a challenge!"

"Let's go." Bankjob pocketed the earbuds, and he and Burger picked up what they needed and started the long walk back to their hideout, to meet up with 'the little guy.'

* * *

Amphitryon and Alcmene, Hercules's father and mother respectively, each hugged Ariel tightly when she and Hercules arrived home.

"Welcome home, Ariel," Alcmene said, almost as if she was Ariel's own mother (she practically was). "We missed you so much; even emails couldn't replace _your _presence."

Ariel grinned. "Aunt Alcmene, I'm _so _glad to see you! And you, Uncle Amphitryon." She was so used to the pronunciation of both Greek names that she never stalled a bit. She hugged them again. "Ohhh, I'm so happy to be back!"

Hercules folded his arms on his chest and smiled as he watched. He felt a vibration in his pocket: "I can fix it!" He flipped open his phone and read the text message from ALICE LIDDELL: 'I hope you two have fun! I apologize for being so sudden, but may I please visit your home sometime?'

Hercules stared in surprise. Alice wanted to visit? He didn't object, but he knew now wasn't the best time. He suddenly tensed up. Was Alice intending to invite his cousin to the Dream League? He suddenly felt very protective and was about to message back, 'My cousin's no Dreamer!' But he shook his head. Alice had promised not to do that, and he trusted her. So he texted back, 'Sure sometime. Seeyou sometime.' He was aware that he lacked finesse with his messages, unlike Alice, who treated every digitally-written thing with perfect grammar, punctuation, and spelling. The other text message he received from earlier was spam. _Great, now they target phones_. He pocketed the phone and rejoined his family.

"We have so many questions," Amphitryon said, "but you just got here. How is the time difference?"

Ariel giggled and pointed to under her eyes. "As you can see, I brought _these _bags home." She smirked. "Yeah, I'm tired. But I was so excited that I couldn't fall asleep!"

Alcmene patted her back. "You must rest. Questions can come later. And I'm sure your father wants to hear every word when he returns."

Ariel nodded. "Sounds good to me. Can we please have dinner? I'm starvin'. And after that I'll give you your presents!"

"Oh, Ariel," the old man said. "You shouldn't have."

"But I did!" The teenage girl grinned.

* * *

Alice was seated at her desk in her dorm. She had the room all to herself. She had to jump through a few hoops and give some very specific reasons to both her parents back in England and to the academy's board about why she needed to be alone. But the only true reason was the unspoken one: she needed cover.

But she reached the conclusion that if she was a normal girl and attended St. Blair without having an alter ego, she would have adored Snow White as a roommate. She was the closest non-Dream League friend she had. So innocent and patient, kind and understanding… Snow was precisely the 'normal' friend she wanted. Perhaps someday, after Dreamchild becomes officially retired, she would tell Snow White the truth.

Alice hummed as she finished her easy homework. Algebra II was like a simple, easy chore to her; the only serious challenge was that it was _dreadfully _boring. But with the homework out of the way, she unfastened her necktie and folded it neatly on the desk, without using her hands. She looked at the garment with a smile, before backing her chair to stand and walk for the bathroom to wash her face. (She disliked sleeping with a 'dirty face.')

Her eyes closed as she scrubbed her face. After drying herself with a towel, her eyes fluttered open and looked into the mirror. She gasped and dropped the towel. She saw two things in the reflection: herself and her cat, Dinah, who was on the bathroom counter beyond the mirror, but not on Alice's 'side.' The cat mewed once.

"Dinah?!" Alice exclaimed. She rubbed her eyes and looked again. Dinah was still there. The cat, within in the mirror, pawed at the glass like it was a transparent door. "Oh, my goodness!" Alice grabbed the sides of her head and shook it. "How?!"

Dinah meowed pleadingly.

"Dinah, I'll get you out!" She tried to reach into the mirror but her hand was blocked. It _was _an ordinary mirror. She couldn't reach into it, despite the reflection having someone trapped inside. She tried to think but a sudden noise cut off her thinking. The pipe underneath the sink (within the mirror) rattled, and an ear-splitting grating sound was made. A decayed, corpse-like hand and arm tore through the drain, but only visible on the reflection side of the mirror. The hand grabbed the cat, which hissed and screeched as she was pulled down.

"_DINAH_!' Alice screamed from the top of her lungs. She ran towards the endangered cat, but it was too late. Dinah's head contorted and collapsed as it was completely pulled down the drain. The pipes rattled. Alice tried to shatter the mirror with her mind, but the looking glass didn't budge. It actually vanished, leaving nothing but a wall. The sink from her own bathroom was still there, though. She shouted into it. "DINAH!" She punched the wall as hard as she could, until her knuckles hurt. Then she screamed again into the drain. "_DIIIIIINAAAAAHHHH_!" Tears streamed down her cheeks. She sobbed painfully.

A gurgle from down the drain bubbled, and then trickled upward. Blood filled the sink, slowly at first, but it gained momentum. Soon the sink was filled with blood, and then the blood overflowed. The bathroom floor started to be coated by it.

"Wh… oh…" Alice, numb, staggered backward, out of the bathroom. Then, through the corner of her eye, she saw something hover. It was her necktie, dancing in the air.

The crying girl heaved. "Why? What's happening?" She couldn't understand why a tie had a mind of its own; she didn't command it to dance like that.

The tie dropped to the floor and, with terrifying speed, slithered to her like a snake. It slid up her leg, over her skirt, up her shirt, and wrapped around her neck. The garment tightened dangerously. She choked and fought the tie with all her might, but the more she resisted the tighter it became. She felt the blood from the sink reach her ankle, and then her knee. Either way, she would die of asphyxiation.

Before succumbing to certain death, Alice heard a man's boisterous laugh. The laugh was distant, yet so present. It sounded jolly. Cruelly jolly.

* * *

Alice woke up with a jolt. She shot upright on her chair, in front the desk on which she slept. Her Algebra II book was in front of her. She coughed and ripped off her tie from her neck, which actually was tighter than usual, for some eerie reason. She covered her face and cried for an extra minute just to get it out of her system. Then she sniffed, lowered her hands and exhaled slowly.

"It was just a dream," she said to herself. "None of it was real. Dinah is safe at home, back in Oxford. It wasn't real." She wiped her eyes. "Goodness…"

She stood up and cautiously walked to the bathroom. Everything was perfectly normal, nothing strange at all. She turned off the light, returned to the desk and stood for a minute, thinking in troubled silence.

_I don't… think I've been unusually stressed lately_. She walked to her bed and sat on it, lost in thought. She rested her head on her palms. _And I don't fear for Dinah's life all the time. And that laugh at the end was so… peculiar. Who could it have belonged to_? Her lips tightened. _I dislike snakes, that's obvious. And_… She smiled. _Ah, that's right. I watched a horror movie last night before I went to bed. There was a scary hand in it. Not a sink, but…_ She rolled her eyes and shook her head. _Well, that will teach me to watch scary movies on the telly before I go to bed. I'm just glad I can rule this out as a random nightmare. Nothing to worry about_. She wiped the sweat off her forehead. _Still… my dreams are usually so bland and unremarkable. I haven't had a true nightmare in some time… and even that wasn't nearly as terrifying._

That's when she remembered her iPhone got a text message earlier, but she didn't read it. She stepped to it, picked it up, and read the text message from Hercules Adelphos. The girl felt so blessed that she had so many new people to talk to. Hercules was still new, but she already felt a deep appreciation for him that only grew every time they went on missions together. She even smiled as she hastily texted the response to his text about his cousin visiting: 'I hope you two have fun! I apologize for being so sudden, but may I please visit your home sometime?' She wanted to be more than just a heroic partner. She wanted to be his friend. Silly as it was, the thought comforted her.

Hercules responded, 'Sure sometime. Seeyou sometime.' Alice smiled. That sloppy text could only have come from Hercules. His poor texting skills were strangely endearing.

She started getting ready for bed. She wasn't too gentle with the tie when she put it away. She looked at the TV and shook her head, a weary smile on her lips. "Such nonsense. That nightmare was terrible, but it was just that. It wasn't real." She sighed and made a mental note to ask her parents the next morning, just in case: 'Is Dinah all right?'

* * *

Ariel, in her pink pajamas, strummed her mandolin as she casually lied on the guest room's bed. "Herculeeees," she said, "I'm not goin' to bed 'til you say something about it."

Hercules, who was also in pajamas, looked at the beautiful yet melancholic mermaid statue on his desk. He sat on the chair in front of it, but he had the chair set at an angle so he could talk to the redhead. "It, uh… sure is something." He chuckled. "It's great. I'm sorry if I seemed underwhelmed. I wasn't! I was just…"

"It's nothing like you expected?" Ariel said with a raised eyebrow and a grin.

"No, but that's good!" He picked it up to examine it once more. The mermaid looked so sad, yet the detail was gorgeous. The mermaid's breasts were bare, save her hair that overlapped her shoulders and covered the revealing bits. She sat on a rock with her fin bent like they were legs. Her arms hugged said fin and looked upward, as if to the moon. This made the mermaid's sad face even more powerful.

"Do you still like mermaids?" Ariel asked. She knew the answer.

"Yeah. Remember that time when we were kids, when we were at sea, and I said I wished a mermaid would swim by?"

Ariel giggled and nodded. "That's what the statue reminded me of."

"Yeah, well, I'm Greek. I'm _required_ to like mythology." They both chuckled and he smiled warmly. "Thanks, Ariel. I love it." His smile wavered. "I hope it wasn't expensive, though."

"It wasn't cheap, but I bought it fair and square." She smiled. "Speaking of cheap, Aunt Alcmene told me you work for Scrooge McDuck now!"

"Oh, yeah." No poker face necessary for this one. "That guy's obsessed with money. Like, crazy about it. And he has a really thick Scottish accent."

"Is he scary?" She smirked.

"For an old duck half my height, _yeah_, actually! He can shout like nothin' else."

"Well, how else do you become a bobazillionaire?"

Hercules smiled. There she went again, making up words. Some things never change. "Well," he said, "I guess it's time for bed. You really ought'a get some sleep."

Ariel yawned as she set her mandolin on the night stand. "Hercules?"

"Yeah?"

"Are we gonna go to the beach tomorrow?"

"Yeah. Heh, you really wanna go, don't you?"

Ariel smiled and closed her eyes. "Mmm. I'm just excited."

Herc stood up and grabbed his mermaid statue. He examined it once again and gently placed his thumb on the mermaid's face, as if to… dry her tears. He looked to the guest room's mirror and stared at himself. Now he had two identities. Mirrors never before looked so perfect. "You probably won't see me as much anymore, 'cause of the job, but…" He smiled. "You know, growin' up I was treated like a freak 'cause of my strength. But a few people never abandoned me. Ma, Pop. And you, Ariel. Thanks. Thanks for the present, and… for everything." He looked to his cousin and was surprised to find her already fast asleep. She hugged her pillow and slumbered with a smile on her lips.

Hercules crept over her to turn of the lamp next to the mandolin. But before he left the room he whispered to her.

"I love you."

With an affectionate smile, he crept all the way to the door. But he accidentally hit his foot against the wall. "Agh!" This didn't wake up Ariel, surprisingly, so he muttered as he left the room. _So much for the cool exit_.

* * *

The next day, Ariel felt all kinds of crazy feelings as they walked through the very remote beach. The spot Ariel picked was well away from public. It wasn't as isolated as the Seclusion, but Hercules had to drive through unpaved dirt just to reach the beach. It was obvious that Ariel just wanted a place that didn't have any other person.

"This place looks good!" Ariel said. She wore a purple T shirt and green shorts, along with flip-flops. She had her towel around her to carry.

Hercules, who wore sunglasses, a white button-up shirt that wasn't tucked (and with the bottom tips fluttering against the breeze), cargo shorts, and sandals, walked empty handed. "You sure we don't need anything else? And why all the way out here?"

Ariel slipped out of her foamy shoes and took her first two steps on the warm sand. She noticed a large close to the shore, yet still above water. The rock almost looked like a ramp which could be crawled on. She smiled in contentment as she looked onto the sea, which stretched as far as her eyes could reach. It always looked like the ocean went on forever. But when she once asked Daddy how far away that thin line at the very end of the horizon was, he said, "Probably a few miles. It's not forever." The ocean was Ariel's obsession growing up. She wanted to experience it somehow, to live it even if just for a day. What she would have given to spend a day under the surface.

Now, she had something to tell Hercules. She trusted him, and she knew that he, more than anyone else, would understand. But she was still very anxious and nervous. She felt that pressure in her chest. She hesitated, until she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled.

"Ariel?" Hercules asked. "You okay?"

Ariel turned around and nodded. "Yeah. I… um. I got somethin' to tell you, Herc." She shook her head. "We're not here to relax. I have to tell you somethin', but… you gotta promise not to tell _anyone_. Okay?"

Hercules was already puzzled, but he shrugged. "Okay. I guess."

There was a long pause. The ceaseless crashing of the waves and the strong breeze, despite being sounds Ariel loved, didn't comfort her this moment. She was too nervous about what she was about to tell her best friend. But if you wanna cross the bridge, you gotta pay the toll.

"… I wanna join the Dream League." Strands of her red hair fluttered against her face as her eyes remained on him.

Hercules felt a jolt that almost felt like one of Megavolt's surprise attacks. "W… w-w-wha-what?" His face was slapped by shock.

"I wanna join the Dream League. I wanna help people. I wanna be a hero. Heroine." She shrugged. "Whatever, I just wanna help."

"Y-you, you can't," Hercules stammered.

"Yes, I can. I mean, you saw Sunshine. Remember how she pummeled those robots? How she sacrificed herself just to get rid of the bomb?" It just occurred to her that she never thought about one morbid question regarding the bomb. Would any of them suffer radiation? Whatever, stay positive. "I wanna… I wanna be a part of that."

Hercules shook his head. "No, no. Ariel, no. This has been a funny prank, but you can't."

Ariel looked hurt. "Hercules, I'll be fine. I've practice martial arts and kickboxing, and I—"

"And you can hold your breath for ten minutes," Hercules said. He didn't mean to sound mocking; he was scared out of his wits. "Ariel, that's not enough. It's too dangerous. You're not right for it, so… just… just cut it out and get that idea outta your head!"

The teenager's eyebrows furrowed and she tilted her head down somewhat aggressively. "Hey. I get enough of this from Daddy, okay? I don't need it from _you_."

"You're _not _joining the Dream League!"

"But I want to!"

"But you _can't_!"

"Why not?! Why do you hate my dream?"

"'Cause it's stu…" He stopped himself.

"Go ahead. Say it." She looked worse than before.

"Ariel—"

"Say it."

"… 'Cause it's stupid. You're just not a hero. You're amazing, but you're just not a hero."

Ariel stared. She closed her eyes and hung down her head.

"Ariel, I…"

She held up her hands and nodded. She looked to him. "Okay, I get it. It was stupid, yeah. You're right. It was stupid for me to tell you this before showing you. I dunno _why _I thought you'd accept this before… here. Let me show you."

"Show me wh—" Hercules was silenced by her towel, which she tossed in his face. The wind pushed it to him, making it wrap around his head. He pulled the towel down in time to see her remove her T-shirt and shorts. She was already in a purple bikini that proudly exposed her body. Ariel was a beautiful teenager whose svelte, curvy body betrayed her young age (though not as drastically as Sunshine). "Ariel?" he asked. "What're you doing?"

Ariel, whose back faced him, looked over her shoulder to speak. "Hercules… during my time in Italy I've… changed." Before she finished speaking, her cheeks started to lose its fleshy tone. They turned light blue, and the color started to creep all over her face, like a rapid infection of some kind.

Hercules flinched. "A-Ariel? _Ariel_!"

Ariel ran full speed down the shore and dove into the water flawlessly. She was a champion swimmer, so she had no trouble swimming to the rock beyond the sand to hide behind.

"_Ariel_!" Hercules shouted. He ran as fast as he could, ready to dive in after her, but her voice stopped him. He stood as close as he could to the rock without being submerged. The foamy water splashed his knees and pulled back in routine.

"I'm fine, Hercules," Ariel's voice said from behind the rock. "But I have a confession to make. I've been keeping a secret from everyone. When I went to Italy, something very weird happened, and now I… well."

A blue hand rose from behind the rock and gripped it, followed the other hand. Ariel pulled herself up, but her skin was light blue. Her hair and lips were dark blue. Her eyes were more turquoise than ever before. But only her torso was exposed; Hercules couldn't see below. She still wore her bikini top.

"Hercules? Remember how I used to tell you I wanted to live in the ocean for a day? To be a guest of the world underneath the tide? Well…"

She grunted a little as she hoisted up her large _mermaid tail _on the rock. She posed on her side to give him the best view possible, resting her head on a palm, her elbow on the rock.

Hercules trembled, especially his lips. His eyes were like dinner plates. He pointed a quivering finger to her and tried to speak, but his shivers prevented him from getting a word out.

Ariel gave him an awkward smile and a shrug. "In a way, I guess I'm now… part of that world. Heh."

Hercules's meltdown intensified. "A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A!"

Ariel, with skin of blue and a green fish tail with a few purple scales, frowned. "I'm so sorry, Hercules. I should've told you sooner, but… I…"

"ARIEL." He breathed rapidly.

"Let it out. Just get it out. Let it out."

"ARIEL!" He gripped his head and threw his face into the air.

"Is a mermaid."

"**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!**"

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

-Based on characters created by The Walt Disney Company.

-The Dream League concept was created by Joseph Label and Andrew "Heffy" Wamboldt.

-"Wonderboy" created by Emma Brown.

-"Dreamchild" and "Sunshine" created by Joseph.

-Ariel-related consultation by Hannah K.

-While the basis of "The Masked Mallard" was created by Disney, Nicole H. (One Lucky Unicorn) expanded the character vastly for the Dream League. The same applies for "Bongo's" expansion by Heffy.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: To everyone who patiently waited for this long overdue issue, thanks. I'm deeply grateful for your patience and understanding!**

**Also, Lampwick rudely insulted Snow White by making a disparaging comparison to Albinism. The views and beliefs presented in _Ultimate Dream League _do not necessarily represent my own. Besides, Lampwick is a jackass and a bully, so it should be obvious! No offense intended.**


End file.
